Ban on international flights extended till November 30, Air Bubble pacts to remain intact

This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA, said a statement issued by the aviation body.

A flight at Doha airport (For representation, Reuters)

To deal with the ongoing Covid pandemic, India`s civil aviation regulator on Friday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till November 30. In the notification, the Directorate General of Central Aviation (DGCA), however, said: "This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA."

It also said that scheduled international flights might be allowed on selected routes on a case to case basis. The Central government had banned the operation of international flights on March 23 last year to contain and control the spread of Covid-19. Flight restrictions, however, were later eased under air bubble arrangement with certain countries. At present, India has formed air bubble pacts with about 28 countries.

The country had been operating Vande Bharat flights to many countries over the last one year to evacuate stranded Indians. An air bubble pact is a bridge between two countries to ease travel and allows free-flow of travellers with all the required documents.

Currently, India's vaccine certificate is applicable in almost all the countries and only RT-PCR test is needed to enter the destination nation.

Domestic air travel, on the other hand, has reached its full capacity following govt's order to restart the flights as per pre-covid levels.