India extends ban on scheduled international flights till November 30

India has now once again extended a ban on international flights till November 30. This was announced by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently.

Earlier last month, the DGCA extended the ban till October 31. Like the previous order, the DGCA will not be restricting international all-cargo operations and flights that have been specifically approved by DGCA.
As reported earlier, India reopened for tourists earlier this month. Starting October 15, India started granting fresh tourist visas to foreigners. Further, the Union Home Ministry earlier announced that foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country by flights other than chartered aircraft starting November 15.

The MHA informed that the said move was taken to provide a boost to the slumping tourism sector and help the economic recovery. Reports have it that the aviation and tourism sector were among the largest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a bid to boost the aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Ministry allowed domestic flights to fly at full capacity starting last week. The Ministry in its statement added, “The airlines/airport operators shall, however, ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID are strictly adhered to and COVID appropriate behaviour is strictly enforced,” the Ministry said.