(Image source from: timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

International flights would be allowed depending on how the virus behaves. For urgent travel, one has to go for Vande Bharat flights.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the ban on scheduled international flights until September 30 from the current date.

This means that international passenger flights will be suspended once again which have been under suspension since March 23, 2020.

Why has the DGCA extended the ban?

Due to the current surge in coronavirus cases in India and as well as the inconsistent behavior of the virus in several other foreign countries, the DGCA has decided to continue with the ban till the situation attains normalcy.

It is anticipated by the health minister of India that the coronavirus situation in the country could come under control by Diwali.

Are the International flights that were to arrive and depart in the next month stand canceled?

If a passenger has booked air tickets for the flights that are being operated under the air bubble agreement between India and other countries or if the passenger has booked a ticket for a Vande Bharat mission flight, the flights will continue to operate as per the schedule and the travel will not stand suspended.

The remaining commercial passenger flights will not be allowed for operations.

The DGCA has allowed international flights on several routes such as to the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, UAE, Maldives, etc.

Additionally, the international cargo flights are also being allowed to run by the DGCA.

When will the regular flight operations resume?

The resumption of regular commercial flight operations for passengers still remains a decision to be made by the receptor countries and their COVID-19 rules relaxations.

The civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri while speaking to the Indian Express had alluded to the fact that it was difficult to anticipate when the other countries would allow people from India to travel to their countries.

When it comes to rules in India for international passengers, it starts with a 14-day quarantine, 7 days of institutional quarantine, and 7 days of self-quarantine under home isolation.

Another upgrade has been made to the rules in India by the DGCA which allows people to procure a certificate of RT-PCR test which is done not less than 96 hours before the journey and the result should be negative.

India has been opening these new rules to allow the flight travel and the operations to resume to normalcy.

By Gayatri Yellayi