All scheduled international commercial passenger flights to and from India will remain suspended till September 30. The ban was earlier extended till the end of August. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has further extended the ban on such international passenger flights till September 30. However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the regulator on a case-to-case basis.In a circular on Sunday, August 29, the civil aviation regulator said, "The competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of September 30, 2021." The regulator added that the restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights that have been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, special international flights were operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with selected countries since July 2020. India has formed air-bubble pacts with around 28 countries, including the United States of America (US), the United Kingdom (UK), the United Arab Emirates (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. View details of the Air Transport Bubbles between India and various countries here.
While domestic flights resumed in May 2020 and were gradually increased, international travel remained suspended with the consecutive extensions of the ban.In view of the second wave of COVID-19 infections, several countries had suspended all flights from India. Although this was eventually lifted, some countries, including Canada, have placed strict restrictions on passengers coming from India.
With input from PTI