Govt says no international flight ops till 30 September
International scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis
NEW DELHI : International flights to and from India will remain suspended till 30 September, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, extending the suspension that was to end on Monday.
However, international all-cargo operations and flights specifically allowed to operate by the aviation regulator, such as repatriation flights, charter flights, and flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, will continue to operate, a DGCA circular said. International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on case-to-case basis, it added.
India banned international flights on 23 March to contain the pandemic. Domestic flights have been allowed since 25 May in a limited capacity, select international flights have been allowed to operate, mostly to repatriate stranded citizens.
India has bilateral air bubbles in place with countries such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar and Maldives. India is in also talks with 13 countries for resumption of flights under air bubbles, including Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. A bilateral air bubble is a mechanism to resume flights between India and other countries with preconditions, which regulate movement in view of covid-19.
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