Air travel to stay suspended as India enters extended lockdown

Indian PM Narendra Modi addressed the nation this morning, also announcing the extension of the current COVID-19 lockdown till May 3. His announcement was followed by the Indian Railways, which announced the suspension of its passenger train operations to be in place till May 3.

The announcement has also been followed by the aviation sector in the nation; it has been announced that the current bans on air travel would remain in place for both domestic and international flights till May 3. Previously, there were speculations that suspension on air travel might be lifted early or as soon as Lockdown 1 (till April 14) ends.

There were good reasons for the Lockdown to be extended till 3rd May.

We can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic & international flights thereafter.

I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel & request them to bear with us.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 14, 2020

Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Civil Aviation, announced the extension and took to social media to announce the same. He has cited that the lockdown is in place for justified reasons, and they will consider lifting the ban only after Lockdown 2 (till May 3) ends. He has also requested prospective passengers to bear with the suspension in place now.
The tweet by the minister also made clear that the exiting suspensions on air travel would be lifted only after the situation has been reviewed by experts once the lockdown ends.