Suspended domestic passenger flights
INDIAN GOVERNMENT SUSPENDED DOMESTIC PASSENGERS FLIGHTS
No domestic commercial passenger flight will be allowed to operate in the country from Tuesday midnight to March 31 to restrict travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.
India has already banned international flights for a week from Sunday.
"The operations of domestic schedule commercial airlines shall cease with effect from the midnight that is 23.59 hours IST (Indian Standard Time) on March 24, 2020," a ministry spokesperson said.
"Airlines have to plan operations so as to land at their destinations before 23.59 hours on March 24, 2020," he said. However, the spokesperson clarified, the restrictions will not apply to cargo flights.
Later during the day, the ministry issued an order stating that the ban would remain in force for domestic commercial passenger flights from 11.59 PM on Tuesday to 11.59 PM on March 31.
Along with cargo flights, off-shore helicopter operations, medical evacuation flights or flights "specifically" approved by aviation regulator DGCA can operate as usual, the order said.
It stated that chartered flights of private aircraft operators will also not operate from midnight March 24 to March 31. "All airports shall continue to function for handling the permitted flight operations," the order said.
