Airlines can cut flightsImage Credit Source: File
The stubbornness of President Donald Trump can prove to be dangerous not only in India but also for America. The change in the terms of the first tariff war and now visa has created a crisis on the Indo-US Travel Market. Flights are being cut between India and America, as the airlines estimate that the journey will be reduced. The reason for this is that Trump administration is a tough stance towards New Delhi, in which visa rules are being made and stringent while the tariff war is not yet resolved.
On Friday, the US announced that companies would have to pay a fee of $ 1 lakh for the new H-1B visa application. This step is being seen as a major shock for the airlines, as the US India route is one of the most important strategic long distance markets. Currently, the US issues 85,000 H-1B visas every year, out of which about 75% of India get.
More impact on Indian professionals
According to Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, the new H-1B visa rule will affect a large part of Indian professionals working in the US. Maybe there is a slight increase before the fee is implemented, but in a long time it can reduce family visits and non-essential India visits. Since more than 70% H-1B visas are with Indians, some special India is definitely affected.
What will be reduced
This ban on H-1B has come at a time when there is already tension between the two countries. The US has recently imposed 50% tariff on the export of many types of goods from India, which is the highest in the world. According to the Aviation Research Company named Capium, 27% less seats will be available between India and the US in January this compared to last year. The report claimed that Air India is making the biggest reduction, which will fill 278 flights this year, while in January last year, 444 flights were flown.
Stress has already broken the back of companies
Industry officials say that big middle East career such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, which take passengers from India via Dubai and Doha, are also seeing a decline in the number of passengers. Running direct flights to the Airlines has already become expensive and complicated as American airlines have been escaping from Russian airs since 2022. Air India is also unable to use Pakistani airspace since March. Air India has suspended flights to Washington from this month, saying that it will have a shortage of aircraft as a large retrofit program is running.
Slowly vacant seats
Airline officials say the seats were gradually remained vacant in flights coming from the US, but from March there has been a sharp decline when US immigration and customs officials started raiding and started detaining people. According to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office of the US Department of Commerce, the number of Indians going to America fell 15% in August. This was the third consecutive month when the decline was observed. There was a decrease of 8% in June and 6% in July.
Also read- India will benefit from increasing H-1B visa fees, jobs will increase in this sector