Coronavirus: Air India suspends services to Italy, airlines asked to consider free flight cancellation

Air India on Wednesday night announced the temporary suspension of its flight services to Rome, Milan and Seoul. While services to Rome (Italy) are being discontinued from March 15 to March 25, flight operations to Milan (Italy) and Seoul in South Korea will remain suspended between March 14 and March 28, an airline official said. The decision came following the government suspending all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, till April 15 to prevent the spread of coronavirus on Wednesday. Passengers of an Air India flight from Milan to New Delhi, which landed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Wednesday, were screened as part of the ongoing preventive measure. "The operating crew of the flight has self-quarantined for 14 days," an Air India official said. The Civil Aviation Ministry has meanwhile asked domestic airlines to consider providing flight cancellation option without any fee to customers who are seeking to cancel their journey plans amid coronavirus concerns, according to a DGCA official.<br/>