India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 (File)
New Delhi:
India will make a decision to resume international passenger flights as soon as countries relax restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday.
Countries like Japan and Singapore have imposed significant restrictions on the entry of foreigners amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The decision to resume regular international operations will be made as soon as countries relax restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals. Destination countries must be ready to allow incoming flights,” Puri said on Twitter.
India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 after an interval of two months due to the closure of the coronavirus.
“Most countries have less than 10% of international transactions because they allow entry only to their own citizens and impose restrictions on foreign nationals,” said the minister.
Many countries allow incoming flights from a few countries, but have imposed restrictions such as quarantine or isolation, he said.
Regular international passenger flights remain suspended in India. However, special repatriation flights are operated by Air India and other airlines to countries around the world as part of the Vande Bharat mission.
On June 1, Puri said that several factors such as foreclosure in metropolitan cities and the prohibition imposed by various countries on the entry of foreigners must be addressed before resuming international passenger flights to India.
The airports of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a limited number of daily domestic flights, as these states do not want a massive influx of travelers from the growing number of COVID-19.
