Covid: India extends ban on international commercial flights till Feb 28

 India had banned the operation of scheduled international flights on March 23, 2020 to contain and control the spread of Covid

India’s civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, on Wednesday extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till February 28, 2022. At present, India suffers from a third Covid wave, which is said to be driven by the Omicron variant.

In a notification, the DGCA extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till February 28, 2022. “This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA. However, flights under Air Bubble agreement will not be affected,” stated the notification. Last month, the civil aviation regulator, had extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till January 31, 2022.

Earlier, India had announced plans to allow resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services from December 15, 2021 with certain conditions. However, on December 1, 2021, DGCA had said it is “closely monitoring” the situation emerging out of the Covid-19’s Omicron variant and the final decision on the resumption of near normal international flight operations will be taken after consultation with stakeholders. India had banned the operation of international flights on March 23, 2020 to contain and control the spread of Covid-19.

Aarogya Setu must, cabin baggage barred: rules ready for resuming flights

The civil aviation ministry has come out with a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for restarting commercial air passenger services in the country

Filling up a detailed questionnaire related to coronavirus, no cabin baggage, using Aarogya Setu app, and reaching airport at least two hours before a flight departure might well be among some of the requirements for air passengers during the initial phase after resumption of commercial flights. The civil aviation ministry has come out with a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for restarting commercial air passenger services in the country, which remain suspended since March 25 in the wake of the lockdown to curb spreading of coronavirus infections.

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Green status on Aarogya Setu app, web check-in, and temperature checks for all domestic departing and arriving passengers have also been proposed. The draft SOP, accessed by PTI, has also mooted rostering the same set of cabin and cockpit crew as long as possible in order to prevent possible cross-contamination. Not just for passengers, the draft SOP has suggested measures that could be followed by security agencies as well as airport operators, including doing away with identity card checks at airport entry gates and ensuring social distancing requirements.