New Delhi (NVI): India today further extended the ban on internationals flights till July 31 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic even as the Unlock 2 phase has been rolled out. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) while announcing the ban today, said that only cargo and flights approved by the DGCA will be allowed.
Some scheduled international flights may be permitted on a case to case basis on select routes, the aviation regulator added.
Earlier in its June 26 circular, the DGCA said it was suspending international passenger flights till July 15, 2020. However, it further extended the deadline till July 31, 2020.
A circular released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated, “In partial modification of circular dated 26-6-2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 23:59 hours IST of July 31, 2020.”
The official release further said that these restrictions 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 case to case basis,” it added.
India suspended all the domestic and international passenger flight services on March 23 to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, under the Vande Bharat Mission, Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled international repatriation flights, one of the largest initiatives to repatriate Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic.
-RJV/ARK
