India halts international flights till Jan 31

International commercial passenger flights would remain suspended till January 31, 2021but cargo flights and others approved by DGCA will be exempted, the aviation regulator has said.

New Delhi: Indian aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday extended the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger flights till January 31, 2021.

"In partial modification of circular dated 26.06.2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to/ from India shall remain suspended till 23 59 hrs IST of 31st January 2021," said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a circular on Wednesday.

The order further stated that this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case by case basis," the DGCA added.

Scheduled international passenger services continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, airlines have been permitted to operate special international flights under the Vande Bharat Mission since May this year and under the bilateral air bubble pacts since July.

India has established transport air bubbles with 23 countries across the world, while the UK flights have been suspended due to the new strain of coronavirus. These bubbles are basically temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday informed that international travel of more than 43 lakh people has been facilitated since May 6.