Facing 10.2 million positive COVID-19 cases and 148,000 deaths, India is closing its borders to international travel in an effort to halt the rising tide headed its way.
Without a vaccine to distribute to its citizens, the government is hoping to slow the rapid spread of the new strain by grounding commercial passenger flights into and out of the country for another four weeks.
On Dec. 30, 2020, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (GDCA) extended the country’s travel and visa restrictions, which have been in place since March 23.
The partial modification of the mandate means that all scheduled international passenger flights to and from India will remain suspended until January 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.
The GDCA may grant individual permission for select commercial or private international passenger flights.
The aviation regulator also permits cargo-only flights from international destinations that are part of the 24-country “air bubble pact.” This agreement allows trade routes to continue between the territories.
Along with the updated directive, Joint Director General Sunil Kumar also further extended the Dec. 21 decision to temporarily suspend flights between India and the United Kingdom where the new strain is rapidly multiplying.
Passenger plans arriving from the country’s northwestern neighbors are now restricted until January 7 unless the flight receives special permission from the DGCA.
Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, has confirmed the extended restrictions in a tweet, adding that travel will be strictly regulated once flights do resume.
This decision means that flights are also on hold from the U.K. under the Vande Bharat Mission, an evacuation program that has made over 1,000 flights to bring home expatriates from 27 countries.
Any person returning from the U.K. must consent to a coronavirus test as directed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
