New Delhi, April 18: The Ministry of Civil Aviation clarified on Saturday that no decision has been taken so far on the resumption of air travel following the current phase of lockdown. Speculations of a resumption in flight operations turned rife after national carrier Air India resumed booking on select-routes, including the Mumbai-New Delhi, for May 4 onwards.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri categorically stated that no decision has been conveyed to the airliners on resumption of flight operations. He further added that the carriers must not begin bookings for the period post lockdown.

"The Ministry of Civil Aviation clarifies that so far no decision has been taken to open domestic or international operations. Airlines are advised to open their bookings only after a decision in this regard has been taken by the Government," Puri tweeted.

See Hardeep Singh Puri's Tweet

The state-run Air India, earlier today, opened up the ticket bookings for select-domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from June 1, 2020. This led to speculations that the private carriers may also resume flights on certain routes after the lockdown ends on May 3.

The routine flight operations in India were suspended from March 24, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the imposition of a nationwide lockdown for at least 21 days to contain the transmission of novel coronavirus. The shutdown were subsequently extended for another three-week period. On April 13, the suspension of flights was also extended till further orders.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2020 11:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).