Coronavirus cases have seen a rise across the nation, and several states in India are observing the second COVID-19 wave. Observing the same, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Thursday, November 26, announced that international flights arriving and departing from India will remain suspended until December 31, 2020.
The decision has been taken keeping the coronavirus outbreak in mind. The circular further added that the services will only be allowed on a case-to-case basis on selected, however, international all-cargo operations and flights approved by the authorities will continue to operate. These revised guidelines will be applicable immediately until 23:59 hrs on December 31, 2020, and have been extended to ensure safety amidst the crisis. The notification was sent by the concerned officials under the travel and visa restrictions.
Earlier, DGCA had suspended the flights until November 30, 2020, under the same guidelines, but the extension comes in as the cases have not reduced and the risk of infection continues. However, under special permissions, selected flights have been operating on the international route as approved by the Central Government for the Vande Bharat Mission. This has been in effect from May 2020, in agreement with 18 nations under the bilateral ‘air bubble’ terms.
As a part of the pact, services to and from Bhutan, France, Kenya, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America are flying for passengers who wish to return to their nation for safety reasons.
However, Domestic flights continue to operate in India for all passengers. This was permitted on May 25, 2020, and special guidelines and SOPs have been issued for the same. Currently, India has more than 9.2 million COVID-19 cases and 1.35 deaths related to the coronavirus infection.
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