India cancels international flights till December 31, No restrictions for specially approved flights
New Delhi: To stop the spread of coronavirus in the nation – the Director General of Civil Aviation on Thursday extended the ban on international flights till December 31.
In a statement – DGCA informed that “Planes will fly only on select routes on a case-to-case basis. The restrictions are not applicable to international all-cargo operations and flights specially approved.”
On October 28, the DGCA had extended the suspension of flights till November 30 and similarity allowed planes to fly on select routes.
Special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under the bilateral ‘air bubble’ arrangements with selected countries since July.
India has formed air bubble pacts with around 18 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.
Scheduled domestic passenger flights resumed in India on May 25 after a gap of two months amid the pandemic situation.
India has already recorded more than 9.26 lakh coronavirus cases and 1.35 lakh deaths so far. Many states have recorded noticeably hike in coronavirus cases in winter.
According to health experts – Covid-19 cases may increase in winter because cold and fever are symptoms of coronavirus and it is very common in winter.
_Vinayak
