India delays resumption of regular international flights over Omicron threat

India has delayed the resumption of international flights in view of the emerging threat from the new coronavirus variant Omicron, the country's aviation regulator said on Wednesday (1 December).

In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being closely watched in consultation with all stakeholders and appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of international flights will be notified soon, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement, reports the Live Mint. 

This follows the DGCA announcement earlier that airlines can resume scheduled overseas flights from 15 December with graded restrictions. 

First detected in southern Africa weeks ago, Omicron is known to have spread to over a dozen countries. The heavily mutated Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have "severe consequences" in some places, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had said earlier.

India is yet to report an infection from the Omicron variant, the country's health minister told the Parliament recently, adding that the government is prepared and ready for any eventuality.

Countries around the world have tightened border controls in an attempt to prevent a recurrence of last year's strict lockdowns and steep economic downturns.