Aviation authorities are increased the ban on all international flights at Yangon International Airport (YIA) to April 30, sources from the YIA said.

According to the announcement from Ministry of Health and Sports and Department for Civil Aviation (DCA) dated on March 29, the ban on all international flights at the YIA is start affected as of March 30.

The authorities reviewed the decision of the temporary ban and extended the ban to April 30 approved by the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment for COVID-19 to have time to prepare and response to control the spread of COVID-19 virus in Myanmar.

The DCA under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on March 29 that the ban on all international flights will be affected from the midnight of March 30 to midnight of April 13.

However aid cargo planes, planes carrying medical equipment and planes allowed by special permission from the DCA will not be included in the ban. The crews from those planes landed overnight at the YIA will be kept in quarantine in line with disciplines set by the Ministry of Health and Sports, it said.

“The ban will be in effect till the midnight of April 13 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus via air travel. The announcement is made to lessen the impact of the virus on Myanmar after the instruction from the WHO and Ministry of Health and Sports,” said Kyaw Myo, Deputy Minister for Transportation and Communications.