New Delhi: In a fresh order on Wednesday, the Director General of Civil Aviation said that scheduled international commercial flights to and from India will remain suspended till February 28.
The decision comes as the world is braving a fresh wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by Omicron, the latest variant of the SARS-CoV-2.
In a circular, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: "The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of February 28, 2022."
This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned.
Fights under air bubble arrangement will not be affected, it noted.
The DGCA had on November 26, 2021 announced that India will resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15, 2021.
Just a day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA to review its decision in wake of the rising concerns of the COVID-19 variant Omicron.
On December 1, 2021, the DGCA revoked its November 26 decision without saying how long the suspension of scheduled international flights continue.
Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020. However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and approximately 40 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them.