Int'l flights to and from India to remain suspended till May 31

NEW DELHI, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Commercial international flights to and from India shall remain suspended until May 31, officials said Friday.

According to a circular issued by the country's civil aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday, the restriction shall not be applicable for international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.

"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above (Travel and Visa restrictions related to COVID-19) regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 23:59 hrs (local time) of 31 May 2021," the order issued by DGCA said. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis."

Commercial flights were suspended when the country imposed a complete nationwide lockdown late in March last year to contain the spread of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Domestic flights resumed operations in India on May 25 last year after nearly two months of suspension.

Indian authorities have been operating special international flights since May last year and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with select countries since July last year.