The Centre on Monday, 31 August, extended the ban on international commercial passenger flights to and from India till 30 September.
“The restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA... International scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case-to-case basis," the circular signed by the Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation, Sunil Kumar, said on Monday.
‘Unlock 4’ and Bilateral Air Bubbles
This come after the Centre, on Saturday, announced guidelines for 'Unlock 4' in which they said there will be no lockdown outside containment zones and allowed metro train services to resume operations from 7 September in a graded manner.
Under the guidelines, international air travel of passengers, except as permitted by the Home Ministry, will continue to remain prohibited.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely disrupted air travel across the world, India has been establishing bilateral air bubbles, which are travel corridors between two countries that wish to reopen their borders and re-establish connections with each other.
While scheduled commercial international flight operations in India remain suspended till 30 September, flights to and from these countries will be allowed on the basis of this bilateral agreement.
The COVID-19 outbreak has severely crippled the aviation industry in India and abroad. Domestic flight operations in the country had only started on 25 May, after two months of strict lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.