India extends ban on international commercial flights till November 30

New Delhi: To deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, India's civil aviation regulator on Friday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till November 30.

In the notification, the Directorate General of Central Aviation (DGCA), however, said: "This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA."

It also said that scheduled international flights might be allowed on selected routes on a case to case basis.

The Central government had banned the operation of international flights on March 23 last year to contain and control the spread of COVID-19.

Flight restrictions, however, were later eased under air bubble arrangement with certain countries. At present, India has formed air bubble pacts with about 28 countries.

The country had been operating Vande Bharat flights to many countries over the last one year to evacuate stranded Indians.