Air India opens bookings for select domestic flights from May 4, intl from June 1

Air India on Saturday announced it has opened bookings for select domestic flights from May 4 and international flights from June 1.

On April 3, during the first phase of the coronavirus lockdown, Air India said it had stopped bookings for both domestic and international flights till April 30.

Air India officials on Saturday said the suspension of domestic flights has been extended till May 3 and that of international flights till May 31.

"Passengers who have booked domestic tickets for the travel period between May 1 and May 3 will get a credit voucher equivalent to the ticket price for future travel.

"Similarly, passengers who have booked international tickets for the travel period between May 1 and May 31 will be getting credit vouchers for future travel too," the officials said.

Earlier, Air India had said that passengers who had booked tickets for the travel period between March 23 and April 30 need not cancel their tickets as they would automatically get credit vouchers for future travel.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. The first phase of the lockdown was from March 25 to April 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 extended the lockdown till May 3.

All domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended during the lockdown period.

"In the light of the ongoing global health concerns, we have currently stopped accepting bookings on all domestic flights for travel till May 3, 2020, and on all international flights for travel till May 31, 2020," a notification on Air India's website said on Saturday.

"Bookings for select domestic flights for travel from May 4, 2020, and for international flights for travel from June 1, 2020, onwards are open," it said.

India's largest carrier IndiGo has also started bookings for select domestic flights for travel from May 4 onwards.