NEW DELHI, Feb 1: India has extended the ban on international flights to and from the country till February 28 as the incidence of covid epidemic is still being reported from all over the country although it is progressively declining.

The ban on the scheduled commercial passenger flights will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights under air bubble agreements and the Vande Bharat Mission and other special flights approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA issued an order to this effect last weekend.

The ban on international flights was imposed on March 23 as the covid/coronavirus epidemic began spreading all over the world. Subsequently, India entered into air bubble agreements on a country-to-country basis to operate essential services. So also the Vande Bharat Mission was launched to repatriate Indians stranded in several countries.