India again extends overseas flight ban: On January 19, the suspension was extended till February 28

On January 19, the suspension was extended till February 28

TT Special Correspondent   |   New Delhi   |   01.03.22  : The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country has been extended “till further orders”, aviation regulator DGCA said on Monday.

Special flights to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine will continue.

On January 19, the suspension was extended till February 28.

Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Flights under air bubble arrangement will also not be affected.

In a circular on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: “The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till further orders.”

This restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned. 

Air India, Air India Express, and SpiceJet will continue to operate flights from neighbouring countries of conflict-ridden Ukraine, including Romania and Hungary.

SpiceJet will fly to Budapest from New Delhi and operate a return flight to India via Kutaisi (Georgia) on February 28,  March 1 and March 2, while Air India Express will operate special flights to Bucharest from Mumbai on February 28.

Air India has so far brought back several hundred Indians from Ukraine.

The country's largest low-cost carrier IndiGo is operating two evacuation flights .

“IndiGo is using A321 aircraft to bring back Indians safely. These flights are being operated from Delhi to Bucharest, Romania and Budapest, Hungary via Istanbul, today as part of the government of India’s Operation Ganga mission,” said Indigo.

On-off decision

The DGCA had on November 26, 2021, announced that India will resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15, 2021.  

Just a day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA to review its decision in wake of rising concerns over the Covid-19 variant Omicron. 

On December 1, 2021, the DGCA revoked its November 26 decision without saying how long the suspension of scheduled international flights continue.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to send four senior ministers to Ukraine’s border nations to help in the rescue of thousands of its citizens.

Ministers Hardeep Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and V.K. Singh will travel to neighbouring countries of Ukraine to coordinate the evacuation, according to a government source.

Scindia will take care of evacuation efforts from Romania and Moldova while Rijiju will go to Slovakia. The sources said that Puri will go to Hungary while Singh will be in Poland.

Dedicated cargo flights, flights under the bilateral air bubble pacts with select countries will continue to operate.