In a major change to the aviation policy, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed foreign airlines to operate non-scheduled cargo flights from all airports in the country for three years.
“The open sky policy for foreign cargo carriers has been reviewed by the government,” said the DGCA, adding “the operations of foreign and non-scheduled freighter charter service shall be allowed at all international airports for a period of three years to facilitate air cargo movements.”
Such flights had been restricted to only six major airports – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad – under restrictions imposed in 2020 among Covid-related protocols. The government has set a target of handling 10 million tonnes of air cargo by 2030.