Amid the increase in new coronavirus cases in the country, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) declared today that the suspension of international commercial passenger services to and from India has been extended until October 31.
The announcement came moments after the Home Office published a new set of guidelines under the Unblock 5 plan mentioning that international passenger air travel will not be allowed in the current Unblocking phase, except as allow MHA.
However, to allow the gradual movement of passenger traffic, “Transport Bubble” agreements have been signed with several countries.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has added more destinations, including Bhutan and Kenya, to the list of countries where Indians can fly. Air bubbles between India and Bhutan and India and Kenya are already operational, and the national carriers of the three nations aim to restore commercial passenger services to the pre-pandemic level.
India has similar air bubble agreements with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Kenya, Canada, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted: “In order to further boost bilateral international air connectivity, Air Bubble agreements already exist with Kenya and Bhutan. Indian carriers will be able to operate in these countries. Carriers from these countries will be able to fly to India. “
Scheduled international passenger flights remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After a two-month gap due to the lockdown caused by the coronavirus, India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25.
However, the average occupancy rate on Indian domestic flights has been around 50-60 percent since May 25.
The circular said that the suspension does not affect the operation of international operations and exclusively cargo flights specifically approved by the DGCA.
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