The ban on direct flights to Kolkata from six other cities has been extended till August 31. The decision was made by the West Bengal government after it observed a spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. According to an official, the flights to Kolkata have been banned from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. The initial flight ban from these cities had come into force on July 6 and was placed till July 19. It was later extended till July 31 and then to August 15.
“The civil aviation ministry has informed us that the flight ban from six cities will continue till August 31, after a request for an extension of the ban from the state government,” an airport official said.
Bengal officials said lifting the curb was not possible as the situation remained grave.
The embargo has prompted desperate passengers to buy tickets on multiple flights — with stopovers at airports located in other states — to travel between Kolkata and these six cities.
Airlines said they had noticed higher loads on flights to and from Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Guwahati and Raipur.
Also Read | Air India allowing travel agents to sell seats only on select Vande Bharat flights, alleges TAAI
Also Read | SpiceJet, in association with Sonu Sood, operates 2 flights from Moscow and Tashkent
Latest India News
