Muscat: India once again extended the ban on international flights until midnight of August 31, 2021, as per the circular issued by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday.
All scheduled international flights to and from India remain banned from March 23, 2020 in wake of the pandemic. The restrictions on international commercial flights were supposed to end on July 31, 2021.
The decision comes amid the threat of a looming third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus in several countries.
The DGCA, in its latest circular, said the ban shall remain in place till 11:59 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) of August 31, 2021. However, it shall not apply to cargo flights and those approved by the regulatory body.
"This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA. However. International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis" the circular noted.
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