In a fresh order passed by the Government of India on Thursday, international commercial passenger flight ban has been extended till 31 December by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in view of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
However the notification says, this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.Also international Scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis.
The DGCA had earlier extended the ban on scheduled international passenger flights till November 30.
Those who want to travel to foreign countries will have to depend on air bubble arrangements. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories. Till the day, India air bubble pacts with around 22 countries. These are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Maldives, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the US.
