Aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday decided to postpone the resumption of scheduled international flights from December 15 citing "evolving global scenario" in the wake of the emergence of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. Last month, the government decided to normalise international flight operations. Scheduled international flights to and from India remain suspended since March 2020 following the coronavirus pandemic.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier announced that scheduled international flights would resume operations from December 15. However, that aviation regulator has now postponed the move and said that it would announce a date later.
Multiple restrictions have been announced by states on travellers arriving from within India or abroad. Maharashtra has made it mandatory for intra-state travellers to either be fully vaccinated or hold valid RT-PCR tests and for inter-state travellers to produce RT-PCR tests (48 hours), without exception. The state has implemented the move under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 'with immediate effect'.
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Numerous airports across the country have similar restrictions in place on incoming passengers, especially from those arriving from "at risk" nations. Travellers will now have to undergo various tests and quarantine.
NDTV quoted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation as saying: "In view of the merging global scenario... the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course".
Omicron surfaces as the devastating effects of the second wave, powered by the Delta variant of the virus, were subsiding. Normal work had resumed in offices, schools were slowly resuming and even normal international flight situation was about to resume.
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