International flights will not happen immediately as various factors are not in favour, says aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri

International passenger flights to and from India will not resume immediately, as the ban imposed by various countries on the entry of foreigners need to be addressed first, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said.

Domestic services were suspended in India due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and resumed after a gap of two months on May 25. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country.

“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,” Puri said on Twitter.

Within India, most international flights operate from the metro cities where travellers arrive from the neighbouring cities and states, he said.

“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,” the minister noted.

Airports in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a restricted number of daily flights as these states do not want a huge influx of flyers amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

The minister said: “MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) guidelines for lockdown 5.0 have further opened up inter & intra-state travel, and will facilitate calibrated reopening of the sector. As we move towards the critical mass of 50-60% operation of domestic flights, our ability to resume international operations will also improve.”

According to a PTI report, Indian carriers operated a total of 3,370 domestic passenger flights till May 31.