India-UK flights to remain suspended till January 7

Passenger flights between the UK and India would remain suspended till January 7 and they will resume in a "strictly regulated" manner thereafter, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Ministry had last week suspended all flights between the European country and India from December 23 to December 31 as a mutated variant of the coronavirus was detected there. Puri's announcement has come following a recommendation by the Union Health Ministry to extend the suspension of India-UK flights till January 7. Puri said on Twitter: "Decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension of flights to & from the UK till 7 January 2021. Thereafter strictly regulated resumption will take place for which details will be announced shortly." After January 7, 2021, strictly regulated resumption of limited number of India-UK flights may be considered and the specifics of such a mechanism may be worked out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in consultation with the Ministry of Health. Twenty people in India have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.<br/>