India extends ban on international flights till January 31

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday announced that the suspension on scheduled international commercial flights has been extended till 31 January. In a circular, DGCA stated, "In partial modification of circular dated 26-11-2021, the competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs 1ST of 31st January, 2022."

However, this restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by DGCA, the statement added. "International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes on a case by cases basis. "The announcement comes amid the rise in newly-discovered Covid-19 strain named Omicron cases across the world and India's tightened norms for international passengers. In November, the Aviation Ministry had announced that it was in line to resume regular international flights from December 15.