As India’s coronavirus situation fails to improve, the country’s civil aviation body is once again extending its suspension on international passenger flights for another month, until August 31st. International flights were suspended in March to contain the spread of coronavirus, and the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been extending this suspension regularly ever since. This has been pushed back every few weeks.
According to The Indian Express, a statement from the DGCA says the following:
“The government has decided to extend the suspension on the scheduled international commercial passenger services to/ from India up to 2359 hours IST of 31st August,”
An ongoing saga
When this crisis first began in March and flight suspensions were imposed, the biggest question for many was, “when will flights resume?” Since then, it has become clear that, as a minimum, the epidemiological situation must improve significantly for the country to reconsider international flights.
To give at least some short-term certainty for travelers and the industry, the DGCA has decided to impose bans several weeks at a time. This allows airlines some time to adjust their policies and handle booking changes.
Thus, the news of this extension is the latest in a series of many – which may not even be the last as India’s daily case count continues to climb.
July travel bubbles
There had been some exceptions to this policy. This is because India had signed agreements with several countries to form travel bubbles.
United Airlines was able to operate a daily flight from Delhi to Newark, along with a thrice-weekly Delhi to San Francisco service during the last half of July. Air France also operated flights from Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai to Paris, for a total of 28 flights. These services ended as of today, with no news of continuations.
Not all countries are waiting
The news of this extension comes just days after Brazil announced it would be reopening its international borders to the world, allowing foreign tourists to enter upon the condition that a valid health insurance policy is obtained.
Some are critical of this policy change as the country has the second-highest coronavirus case count in the world, next to the United States.
With the highest number of cases in the world, the United States has a somewhat relaxed policy as well – allowing travelers from many parts of the world to enter except for the following countries:
- China
- Iran
- European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City)
- United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
- Republic of Ireland
- Brazil
Of course, for most countries that have managed their situations and lowered active and new case counts, more conditions are in place and often list countries such as the US, Brazil, and India as restricted entries.
Will you have to change your travel plans because of this extension? Do you think it will be extended yet again past the end of the month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.