International passenger flight services may normalise by the end of this year, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said on Wednesday. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, all scheduled international passenger flights to and from India were grounded in March 2020. The suspension has been extended till November 30, 2021. 

As vaccination coverage increased, restrictions were eased, with India making air bubble arrangements with over 25 countries for operating international flights. Under the arrangement between two countries, international passenger flights can be operated by their respective carriers into each other’s territories subject to certain conditions.

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Last week, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government was evaluating the process for normalising international operations. He added that the government wants things to return to normalcy while keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic situation in certain parts of the world.

“I am all for regaining our space in the civil aviation arena in the world and making a hub in India and for more wide body aircraft. We will get there but bear with me and trust me, I am on your side. We will work together but in a safe environment,” he had said.

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Meanwhile, on October 12, Centre allowed domestic flights operation to resume with 100% capacity. The second wave of the coronavirus had forced airlines to operate domestic flights at 50%. The limit was eased to 72.5% between August 12 and September 18.

“It has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air operation with effect from October 18, 2021, without any capacity restriction,” the aviation ministry had stated at the time.