International flights suspended till August 31, transport only via 'Travel Bubble'

New Delhi : With Unlock 3 getting implemented across the nation, the government has extended the ban on international flight operations till August 31. However, the flights will be allowed to cross the border under 'travel bubble' which India has created with the US, UAE, Germany and France. It is likely to be extended with more nations in coming days.

"The government has decided to extend the suspension on the scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India up to 11.59 pm (IST) of August 31, 2020. However, this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation," the DGCA said in a statement on Friday.

All international flights to and from India were suspended on March 22 when the lockdown was implemented, since then the international flight services have remained suspended.

“To allow gradual movement of passenger traffic during the Covid-19 situation, ‘transport bubble’ agreements have been signed with USA, France and Germany. Recently, ‘transport bubble’ agreement has also been signed with Kuwait to uplift stranded passengers both to/from India. More similar arrangements are likely to fructify and ease passenger movements from different countries,” DGCA said.

Earlier, the aviation ministry had claimed that the government will opt for resumption on international flights when the domestic flights reach 50% mark of its scheduled operations.

Aviation minister H S Puri had said on July 17: "Many international travellers from metros like Delhi and Mumbai need connecting domestic flights to and from these hubs. Domestic travel is steadily rising but we are still at 30% mark. There are restrictions in many places like Mumbai that have capped number of daily domestic flights. Once we reach the 50% domestic capacity mark, then resumption of schedule international flights will be considered."