Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec.1: India is unlikely to resume commercial foreign passenger flights on December 15, as previously announced. Following its decision to resume scheduled international passenger flights after the novel coronavirus variant Omicron aroused concerns, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday, December 1, that it is “monitoring the situation attentively.”
“An appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” said the DGCA.
“In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders,” it said in a statement.
Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, scheduled foreign flights have been stopped in India since March 23 of last year. Special international passenger flights, on the other hand, have been running since July of last year, thanks to air bubble agreements reached with 31 nations.
Commercial international passenger flights will restart on December 15, according to the Centre, which announced this on November 26. After consulting with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the decision was made.
However, on November 28, the Centre announced that it would make a decision on when flights would restart after examining the “changing global scenario” in light of concerns about the Omicron coronavirus type. Following the World Health Organization’s designation of ‘Omircon’ as a variation of concern, this decision was made.
The DGCA’s notification comes as part of the regularly repeated notifications carrying forward the prohibition on scheduled commercial international passenger flights, which has been in effect since March 23, 2020. On Tuesday, the final of the ban periods came to an end.
