Scheduled international commercial flights to and from India will be suspended until February 28, the Civil Aviation Authority chief said in a new order on Wednesday. Flights under the bubble arrangement will not be affected, the DGCA said. The decision comes as the world faces a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic fueled by Omicron, the latest variant of SARS-CoV-2.

In November 2021, the center decided to resume scheduled international flight operations from December 15. The presence of Omicron threw plans for trouble, with the government having until January 15 reversed its decision to resume scheduled international flights.

Scheduled international flights in India have been suspended from March 23, 2020, two days after the country imposed a nationwide lockdown. The moratorium is extended each month to allow emergency international travel under the bubble protocol. India and Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia , Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan. These agreements allow two-way air travel under certain terms and conditions. Direct flights to countries not covered by the Air Travel Bubble Agreement are not permitted.

International air travel has grabbed attention as the variant Omicron, first spotted in South Africa on November 24, 2021, made its way to India via international travelers. The first Omicron case was an international passenger, which prompted Delhi, West Bengal, to request a ban on international flights from countries most affected by Omicron.

Flights under the bubble deal were not banned, but India identified some countries as “at risk”. The list includes all countries in Europe including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Israel, Congo, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zambia.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times