India Temporarily Suspends Flights from the UK Due to "Concerns Over COVID-19 Variant Spread"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] As a new variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads in the UK, India has decided to temporarily suspend flights to and from the UK, following European countries.

On the 21st, the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Twitter, "Considering the spread situation in the UK, all flights from the UK to India will be suspended from the 23rd to the 31st," adding, "Accordingly, flights from India to the UK will also be temporarily suspended during the same period."

India has not officially resumed international passenger flights yet, but it allows flights for the return of its nationals and special flights by various countries. In particular, bilateral flights are being operated with the UK, the US, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the 'Air Bubble' agreement.

Earlier, the UK government implemented emergency lockdown measures starting on the 19th as the COVID-19 variant rapidly spread in London and the southeast of England. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained that the variant is 70% more infectious than the existing virus and can increase the reproduction number by up to 0.4, stating that there is no alternative but to strengthen the response. Subsequently, European countries such as Germany and Italy, as well as Canada, announced bans on flights from the UK one after another.

Meanwhile, according to the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in India reached 15,555,600 on the day, an increase of 24,337 from the previous day. India’s daily new cases surged to nearly 100,000 on September 10 but have recently decreased significantly.

Additionally, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and Bulgaria are planning to restrict or limit entry from the UK.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.