Centre extends suspension of international flights till January 31

The government of India on Wednesday extended the suspension of all commercial international flights till January 31, 2021, in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. The restriction would not apply to special flights and international air cargo operations.

“However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said, in a statement.

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 after the outbreak of the coronavirus. Although, some special international flights have been operating under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with select countries since July.

India has formed air bubble pacts with 24 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan, and France. However, the central government has banned all flights to and from the UK till January 7 in the wake of the new coronavirus strain.