Indian aviation minister provides updates on international flights

World Monday 01/June/2020 18:35 PM
By: Times News Service
Indian aviation minister provides updates on international flights

New Delhi: India’s Minister of Civil Aviation has provided an update on allowing international flights to take off and land at airports in the country.

India had suspended all scheduled international passenger planes to attempt to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Only recently have domestic flights been allowed to restart across some routes.

In a statement, he said, “Numerous citizens have been approaching us to restart international flights. Several factors need to be addressed. Many international destinations are not allowing incoming passenger traffic, except for their own citizens or diplomats.

“Within India, most international flights operate from the metros where travellers arrive from neighbouring cities and states,” Puri went on to say. “Our metro cities were under various degrees of lockdown which are beginning to be lifted. Some of them are still allowing only limited flights to operate.”

Puri added that the resumption of international flights depended on the decisions taken by the Ministry of Health Affairs of India, with the country currently gradually easing its lockdown measures which were put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“MHA guidelines for lockdown 5.0 have further opened up inter & intra-state travel, will facilitate calibrated reopening of the sector. As we move towards the critical mass of 50-60 percent operation of domestic flights, our ability to resume international operations will also improve.