International flights will remain suspended till June 30. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently announced that international passenger flights will not start operation till June 30, however, the restriction will not apply to international all-cargo flights, and scheduled flights under the travel bubble arrangements. Ban on scheduled international flights has been in place since March last year.
The DGCA recently issued an order extending the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 11.59 PM (India time) of June 30, 2021. The DGCA in its order stated, “This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.” It further added that scheduled international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis.
Although international flights have been suspended since March last year, various international flights have been operating under bilateral air bubble agreements that India had signed with several nations to ensure unhindered movement of passengers.
As of now, India has formed air bubble arrangements with 27 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, United Arab Emirates, Bhutan, Kenya, Nepal, Maldives, Rwanda, Ukraine, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Germany, Nigeria, France, among others. As per the said agreement, special international flights can be operated between two countries by their airlines between their territories.
