India extends ban on scheduled international flights till January 31

New Delhi: In a fresh circular, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday announced that the suspension on scheduled international commercial flights has been extended till 31 January.

In a circular, DGCA stated, 'In partial modification of circular dated 26-11-2021, the competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs 1ST of 311t January, 2022.'

However, this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by DGCA, the statement added. 'International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes on a case by cases basis.'

The announcement comes amid the rise in newly-discovered Covid-19 strain named Omicron cases across the world and India's tightened norms for international passengers.