Suspension of scheduled international passenger flights extended till Sept 30

New Delhi: The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till September 30, said Indian aviation regulator DGCA on Monday.

"However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis," noted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a circular.

Scheduled international passenger services continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements with other countries since July.

The circular said the suspension does not affect the operation of international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA.

Scheduled domestic flights were allowed to resume after a two-month suspension on May 25 and so far airlines are operating about 35% of the summer schedule. They have been allowed to raise the capacity to 45% till November 24 — something that may be relaxed depending on how the pandemic situations pan out and if states relax their caps on flight operations.