India might not resume commercial
international flights from December 15, 2021, as per earlier plans. The new
development comes amid arising concerns about the omicron variant of the
coronavirus. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, that they are watching the situation closely,
consulting with all stakeholders, and will notify when an appropriate decision
is made regarding the effective date of resuming scheduled commercial
international flights.

Initially, there was an announcement last
week that services would resume. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with
government officials, asking them to review the plans to ease international
travel restrictions, as new evidence had come to light. Thereafter, in a meeting
chaired by the home secretary, it was decided that the effective resumption date
would be reviewed based on the developing global scenario.

Also Read | What is Omicron?

The earlier plan, of course, was to resume
international commercial flights with calibration, taking a staggered approach
for ‘at-risk’ countries. The list includes Europe, including the UK, apart from
South Africa, Brazil, China, Bangladesh, Botswana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore,
Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, and Israel. Among these, if India has air
bubble arrangements as per bilateral agreements, flights were to resume at 75%
capacity. Otherwise, they would resume at 50% capacity. Countries not ‘at-risk’
could operate flights at full capacity.

Also Read | List of countries where Omicron COVID variant has been detected

However, India is not the only country to
exercise caution in light of this alarming situation. The US has blocked the entry
of travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,
Eswatini, and Malawi. Similarly, Canada, the UK, and the European Union have
all imposed restrictions on travellers from South Africa as well as its neighbouring
countries. Meanwhile, countries like Japan and Israel have implemented more
extreme measures, shutting down their international borders completely. Further,
instructions have been issued to the airlines to not accept forward bookings
from any international passengers.