India is not likely to resume international flights from December 15 as had been decided earlier. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday, December 1, said it is “watching the situation closely” in the wake of the resumption of scheduled international passenger flights, after the new variant of coronavirus, Omicron, sparked concerns.

The DGCA said: “An appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course.”

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“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,” it said in a statement.

Scheduled international flights have remained suspended in India since March 23 last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, special international passenger flights have been operating since July last year under air bubble arrangements formed with 31 countries.

The Centre on November 26 had said that commercial international passenger flights would be resumed on December 15. The decision was taken after consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

However, on November 28, the Centre said it would take a decision on the effective date to resume flights after reviewing the “evolving global scenario” over concerns relating to the Omicron variant of coronavirus.