NEW DELHI: Temporary suspension of India-UK flights may be extended beyond December 31, aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday.
India suspended passenger flights to and from the UK last week between December 23 and December 31, after a growing list of countries including Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Italy followed suit. due to a more infectious coronavirus variant there.
“We are applying our minds to (on the subject of) the temporary suspension of UK Flights as today is December 29. A decision will be made shortly. But personally I anticipate a small and slight extension of the temporary suspension beyond December 31, ”said Puri.
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India-UK has 67 weekly flights operated by four airlines: Air India, Vistara, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Almost 2,000-2,500 passengers travel daily on these flights. The UK had reported a more infectious strain of coronavirus after which several countries, including India, temporarily suspended flights to and from there.
“We went back to November 25 and did contact tracing and genie sequencing of passengers who had come directly or indirectly from the UK since then. So far, seven people who came from the UK have been reported to have been detected with the new Covid strain, ”Puri said.
In video: India could extend suspension of flights from UK: Hardeep Singh Puri
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