If you are mulling over booking a flight post May 3, you may want to re-think. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday asked carriers to refrain from booking flight tickets unless a decision is taken to resume operations.

In a circular, the DGCA said that no decision has been taken to resume operations of either domestic or international flights from May 4, and directed all airlines to refrain from booking any tickets for journeys to be undertaken on or beyond May 4. 

In a series of tweets, Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister, said that flight restrictions will only be lifted once the spread of the novel coronavirus has been controlled and poses no danger.

Our views & approach on restarting flights have been clearly stated. 
On 2nd April, I said "A decision to restart flights after this period remains to be taken" & reiterated this on 5th. On 14th when Lockdown extended, I said "we can CONSIDER lifting restrictions" after Lockdown. pic.twitter.com/LkXKkofKsY

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 20, 2020

The issued circular also said airlines will be given sufficient notice and time for restarting of operations. The intervention happened after certain airlines—including the state-run Air India—opened their booking windows on select routes from May 4.