International flights suspension extended till April 30 as COVID-19 cases rise
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the extension of the suspension on international commercial flights till April 30. Though, international passenger flights which under air travel bubble arrangements will continue to operate.
FollowNew Delhi: The ban on scheduled international commercial flights has been extended till April 30, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on March 23.
However, this is not applicable to those flights which have already been approved by the authorities.
The directive comes as the ministry of home affairs on Tuesday issued new directives to be implemented in the country in April, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases.
"In partial modification of circular dated 26-6-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the above subject regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of April 30. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA" a circular stated.
"However, International Scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis," it added.
International travel was banned in March last year, coinciding with a similar restriction on domestic operations, and the imposition of a nationwide lockdown to curb Covid-19 transmission. While domestic flights had resumed in May 2020, international travel remained suspended.
India initially began Vande Bharat Mission - a repatriation exercise - that allowed stranded Indian nationals to return back home. Later, the air travel bubbles were introduced to facilitate the to and fro movement of flights on select-routes.
At present, international flight services are allowed between India and 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.
