An Air India aircraft prepares to land at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India. File/AP

Scheduled international commercial passenger flights to and from India will continue to remain suspended till 30th April, announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday.

International flights were suspended at the end of March last year as part of a lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

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"In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the above subject regarding scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 30th April, 2021," it said.

Aircrafts are seen parked on a runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic airport in Mumbai, India. File/AP

The extension of the ban on regular flights came on a day when the government announced a major expansion next month of its nation-wide vaccination drive against Coronavirus to cover everyone over the age of 45. So far, only those above 60 years of age were eligible for vaccination. Persons in the age group of 45-60 with co-morbidities were also eligible.

Domestic flight services, however, resumed from May 25, 2020.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Home Affairs here issued fresh guidelines for effective containment of COVID-19, which will remain in force up to 30th April. The guidelines mandate the states to strictly enforce a three-pronged "Test, Track, Treat" protocol in all parts of the country and ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour by everyone.

The new guidelines have come as India recorded a surge in new cases of Coronavirus. In the previous 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 40,715 new COVID-19 infections, taking the cumulative total since the onset of infections to 11.69 million. Deaths rose by 199 in a day to total 160,166.