Covid Induced International Flights Ban Extended Till July End

The Centre has once again extended the ban on international commercial flights. According to the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the ban will be till July 31. Earlier the ban was till June 30, but it will now be extended by another month.

Cargo flights and those operating under the air-bubble pact will be allowed to continue. The flights will operate in few countries. “This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA,” read the circular.

"However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis,” it added.

The international flights in India were suspended on March 23, 2020, owing to the spread of coronavirus. However, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May of last year and under bilateral "air bubble" agreements with a few countries since July.

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, the Maldives, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, Uzbekistan, and the United States are among the countries with bilateral air bubble agreements.

But now with the extension, it has become a 16-month long ban. Earlier the Central Government extended the ban on international commercial flights till 30 June. After a 14-month hiatus, the ban on scheduled international flights was set to end on May 31.

Several nations have banned or imposed restrictions on flights from and to Indian states over the increase of Covid cases across the country. Countries like Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and UAE in April banned travel to and from India. As the situation is still not completely fine in India, the ban on flights to and from the country will probably be suspended for a while.