With more Asian countries lifting travel restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines are planning to gradually resume flights in the coming months to save the coronavirus-hit industry.

AirAsia Indonesia flights to restart operations in June

AirAsia Indonesia will resume flights on June 19 as the country has relaxed rules on the large-scale social restrictions, the airline said on Sunday. President Director of AirAsia Indonesia Veranita Yosephine Sinaga said preparations for the resumption of the scheduled flights have been carried out.

Travelers flying with AirAsia will be required to comply with health and immigration requirements as well as the travel restrictions set up by the governments of their country of origin and their intended destination, according to the airline.

The airline said it will gradually reinstate its network services once the global health situation improves and regulatory restrictions are terminated.

The novel coronavirus has killed 1,851 people across Indonesia and infected 31,186 others, the Health Ministry reported on Sunday.

Kuwait to resume commercial flights in three stages

Kuwait's civil aviation plans to progressively resume commercial flights to and from Kuwait International Airport, Minister of State for Services Affairs and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Mubarak Al-Harees said in a press conference on Sunday.

"The first stage begins with 30 percent of capacity. The percentage in the second stage increases to 60 percent until the full operation in the last stage," he said.

It is worth noting that the Kuwaiti airport has been working in tandem with relevant ministries to repatriate foreign residents hoping to travel back home, the minister said.

On March 13, Kuwait suspended all commercial flights as part of efforts to curb the rapid rise of coronavirus cases. It ended full curfew and imposed a three-week partial curfew for a gradual return to normal life in the country on May 31. The country has so far recorded 31,848 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 264 deaths.

Sri Lanka to ensure safety for tourists when airports reopen

Sri Lanka will provide international visitors with the highest standards of safety when its airports reopen for tourists from August 1 following the containment of COVID-19, Sri Lanka's tourism ministry said on Sunday.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has put in place all the precautions recommended by global health and travel authorities to reopen the country to tourists as Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and Ratmalana International Airport (RIA), as well as Hambantota's Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), will be open from August 1 for travelers from all nations. However, the issuance of visas will only be viable online and must be applied for prior to travel, the ministry said in a statement.

Further, all passengers will have to have a negative PCR test report from an accredited laboratory taken within 72 hours prior to landing in Sri Lanka and a confirmed travel itinerary covering at least five nights at certified accommodations. A valid return air ticket and travel insurance with health and hospitalization coverage will also have to be issued upon arrival in the island country.

"Tourists will not have to undergo quarantine procedures. A mandatory health screening and sanitizing process including a PCR test will be conducted at arrival airports free of charge for tourists, and all travelers will be transferred through pre-booked transportation to designated hotels in close proximity to the airport, to await their PCR test results which would be expected within 24 hours," the statement said.

The country shut its international airports to all passenger arrivals in March to prevent a further spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, but said passenger departures would continue.

The country has so far detected over 1,800 COVID-19 patients out of which over 900 have recovered and been discharged. Eleven deaths have been reported so far.

Read more: Sri Lankan cafe owner feeds and shelters stranded tourists

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: An airline staff member wearing face shield and mask waits between empty rows to assist passengers at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, June 2, 2020. /AP)