Coronavirus crisis: Ban on international flights extended till July 31

The government has extended the ban on all international flights till July 31, even as it continues to relax other restrictions. In an order, the Director General of Civil Aviation said that restrictions would not apply for cargo flights as well as flights specifically approved by the DGCA.

The DGCA order said that international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes on case-to-case basis.

"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs of 31 July, 2020. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA," it said.

In its earlier order, the DGCA had stated that the ban on international flights would continue to July 15. It had also said that some international scheduled flights might be allowed on selected routes on case-to-case basis.

India had suspended flight operations in the last week of March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On May 25 -- after a gap of two months -- domestic flight operations were resumed with a host of strict measures. Till June 24, domestic airlines had ferried across 1.8 million passengers.

Meanwhile, the government has continued its Vande Bharat mission to bring home passengers who are stranded abroad. According to latest reports, Air India has reduced fares by 25 to 45 per cent for passengers stranded in the US and Canada under the Vande Bharat mission.

Also read: Vande Bharat Mission: Air India slashes flight fares up to 45% for Indians stranded abroad