International flights halted till 30 Nov

International flights to and from India will remain suspended till 30 November, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

The decision to extend the suspension of such flights for one more month from 31 October has been taken as the covid-19 pandemic does not seem to have abated enough.

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.

Flights under the air bubble arrangements with other countries will also be allowed to operate. India has bilateral air bubbles in place with 19 countries such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, the UAE, Qatar, and the Maldives. India is also in talks with other countries for resumption of flights under air bubbles.

An air bubble is a mechanism to resume flights between India and other countries with preconditions, which regulate movement in view of covid-19 pandemic.

The aviation regulator also said that international scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis.

India suspended international flights on 23 March to contain covid-19. Limited domestic flights have been allowed since 25 May.