Highlights
- All international flights to and from India to remain suspended till June 30
- India registers a record single-day jump of over 8,000 new coronavirus infections
- India exempts certain categories of OCI cardholders from the international travel ban
Ruling out all speculations around the resumption of flights, the Director General of Civil Aviation on Sunday extended the travel ban on all international commercial passenger flights till the end of this month.
As per the order, the restrictions will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specially approved by the DGCA.
The extension comes just days after the government gave a go-ahead to domestic flights, which will continue to operate in a calibrated manner even as international flights will remain grounded.
While the government has not committed to a timeline on the resumption of overseas air travel, Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday revealed that it will make a decision on international flights in phase 3 of its “unlocking” plan.
Reiterating the government’s stand, India’s Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri had earlier told SBS Punjabi that a decision on when to resume international flights would be taken after assessing the situation at a later stage.
A snapshot of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs order outlining guidelines for phased re-opening. Source: Twitter/Spokesperson for MHA
“I have been quoted out of context that I had said India will start international flights in August or September. I had actually said, ‘why wait till then? If possible, we’ll resume them earlier’. India is moving in a step-by-step manner. First came Vande Bharat, then domestic flights and international flights will be next,” said Mr Puri.
In a separate order, the Indian government has also allowed certain categories of OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) cardholders to travel back into the country amid restrictions on inbound travel.
These include minor children born to Indian nationals abroad who hold OCI cards and couples in cases where one spouse is an OCI cardholder while the other is an Indian national living in India.
Travel exemption has also been given to OCI cardholders who intend to travel owing to family emergencies and university students who are OCI cardholders but whose parents are Indian citizens who have a permanent residence in India.
SBS Punjabi understands that a significant number of OCI cardholders from Australia have registered their interest with the High Commission to travel to India.
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The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
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