India / India extends suspension of scheduled international flights till October 31

New Delhi: Amid ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Director-General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday extended the suspension on scheduled international commercial passenger flights till October 31, 2021, said a circular by the office of DGCA.

However, the restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA, the circular further added.

Also, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis, the Indian regulatory body said.

"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 31st October, 2021. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA," the notice reads.

Last month, the DGCA had extended the suspension on scheduled international commercial passenger flights till 30 September.

Meanwhile, the number of new Covid-19 cases was recorded at below 20,000 (18,795) in the country after 201 days today, taking India's caseload to 3,36,97,581, while the number of active cases declined to 2,92,206, the lowest in 192 days.