JOIN USIndia extends international flight ban till December 31
India on Thursday extended the ban on international flights till December 31, with exceptions for operations permitted by the civil aviation regulator, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 31st December 2020,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
“This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA,” the order stated.
Scheduled international flights have been suspended since March 25 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but special evacuation flights under the Vande Bharat mission had started operations on May 7.
“However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis,” the DGCA order said.
India has air bubble arrangements with 21 countries, namely Afghanistan, Bhutan, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Netherlands, Canada, Iraq, Kenya, Oman and Ukraine.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation had released guidelines on who can travel out, or travel to India, under the repatriation and travel bubble flights.