Omicron alert: India stalls plan to resume normal international flights from Dec 15

India has put on hold its plan to resume scheduled commercial international flights from December 15, in light of the evolving situation pertaining to the Omicron variant of COVID.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in an order on Wednesday: “In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, 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.”

It was reported last week that the Centre had taken a call to resume scheduled international commercial flights from December 15, after a gap of more than one-and-a-half year. But soon after, news broke about Omicron – which is said to be highly contagious and capable of undergoing rapid mutations – and cases started being reported across countries.

Also read: Omicron facts are emerging; here’s what scientists say now

Special international passenger flights have been operating in India since July last year under air bubble arrangements formed with 31 countries.

From today, India has instituted a new set of rules for international passengers landing in the country, especially from “at risk” nations. They involve detailed guidelines on testing, sampling, and quarantine of cases detected at the airport, if any.