India extends ban on international flights till Oct 31

India on Tuesday extended the suspension of international commercial flights till October 31 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions, however, will not apply to cargo operations and flights specifically approved the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

"International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on case to case basis," the DGCA said in a statement.

India banned all scheduled international flights to and from the country from March 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, the ban has been extended towards the end of every month by the regulator.

However, the restrictions were later eased for certain countries with which India has entered into an air bubble agreement. Over the last one year, India has formed air bubble pacts with 25 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France.

The air bubble pact allows operation of special international flights by the national carriers of the two countries.