Kolkata: Ban on flights from six COVID hotspot cities extended till August 31

In a move to further contain the spread of COVID-19, Kolkata has extended the ban on arrival of domestic flights from six cities till August 31. Even though air travel has resumed post-lockdown across the country, Kolkata maintained its stance to ban flights from COVID hotspots till August end. Reportedly, the six cities in the banned list are Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Nagpur, Chennai, and Ahmedabad.

Referring to this, an airport official states that they have been informed by the Civil Aviation Ministry that the flight ban from six cities will continue till August 31. The decision was taken after a request for an extension of the ban was forwarded by the state government. In its request, the state cited high incidence of Coronavirus cases is the said six hotspot zones.As reported earlier, Kolkata airport extended the temporary restriction on the flight arrival to Kolkata Airport from six cities till August 15, which has now been further extended in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Also, due to total lockdown in the city to contain the spread of Coronavirus, flight operations at Kolkata airport will remain suspended on August 20, 21, 27, 28, and 31.
The state is taking all the measures to manage the situation, which continues to remain. However, the ban has affected many stranded travelers, who have been forced to buy multiple flight tickets with stopovers located in other states in order to reach Kolkata.

Further, to control the current situation in the state, West Bengal Government also announced a 7-day complete state-wide lockdown in August.
So, if you have been planning to travel to Kolkata, you will have to wait a bit longer. Else, you should be ready to shell out more money to buy a ticket with multiple stopovers.