On July 30, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) announced the extension of ban on international commercial passenger services till August 31, 2021.
— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) July 30, 2021
The restrictions will not be applicable to international all-cargo operations as well as flights approved by DGCA. However, international scheduled flights, depending on the case, might be allowed to operate on selected routes by the competent authority.
DGCA’s announcement comes after the surge of COVID-19 cases across the world mainly due to the highly contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India during the second wave, while causing countless deaths in the country.
On July 28 i.e. Wednesday, UAE’s largest airline, Emirates, further extended its ban of flights from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka until August 7, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Moreover, Etihad has announced that its ban on passenger flights from India to UAE would not be lifted until further notice. One of the airline’s spokespersons stated, “Etihad will not be permitted to carry passengers from India. However, UAE nationals, diplomatic missions, official delegations and Golden residence holders are exempted from the UAE entry restriction. These passengers will be subject to acceptance and quarantine conditions.”
India has formed air bubble managements with 27 nations including the US, the UK, the UAE, France, Germany among others. Under such pacts, special international flights are permitted to operate by their airlines between the countries’ territories.