The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), along with senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, proposed lifting the ban on scheduled international commercial flights to and from the country, effective March 1. “The decision has not yet been taken by the Ministry of Health and officials,” said a government source, who asked not to be named.
The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in India is currently in effect until February 28. This ban on scheduled international passenger flights continues in force in India since March 23, 2020. However, as of July 2020, private passenger flights have been operated between India and about 40 countries under bubble agreements with them.
India currently has bubbles with Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Ukraine, UAE United States, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.
The government has held meetings to discuss the Omicron variant and hopes to provide a flexible travel experience for travelers who wish to travel from India.
Last week, the Ministry of Health issued a statement and informed that in addition to uploading a negative RT-PCR report (taken 72 hours before the flight), the possibility of obtaining a certificate of completion of the complete initial immunization schedule for COVID-19 vaccination is uploaded by states on reciprocal basis.
All travelers will monitor their health for the next 14 days after arrival. If travelers under self-monitoring for COVID-19 develop signs and symptoms, they will immediately self-isolate and inform their nearest health center or call the National Helpline (1075) / Government Helpline Number,” the ministry said.
