India Extends Suspension of Scheduled International Flights Till January 31

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India on Thursday extended the suspension of regular international passenger flights till 31st January 2022.

It is worth mentioning here that last month the DGCA has announced that it will resume the scheduled international flights with some countries starting 15th Dec;

But due to the rising concerns over the new coronavirus variant Omicron, it has postponed the opening of scheduled international flights.

Now, the aviation regulator issued a circular and said;

“The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 2359 hours of January 31, 2022.”

It may be noted that scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with selected countries since July 2020.

Air Bubble Agreement with 31 Counties

Since July 2020, India has started forming bilateral air bubble arrangements and till now India has signed an air bubble agreement with a total of 31 countries which includes;

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, UAE, United Kingdom, USA, and Uzbekistan.

India Issued Revised Guidelines For International Arrivals

Amid the rising concern of the Omicron variant, India has also issued revised guidelines for all international passengers arriving in India. This comes after the Union Health Ministry of India issued revised guidelines for international arrivals.

These new guidelines will come into effect starting today, 01st December 2021, and will continue in place till further orders.

Also Read: India Removes Singapore From ‘At Risk’ Countries: Check Updated List