Passengers wearing protective face masks leave upon arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after India cancelled all flights from the UK over fears of a new strain of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India.

India’s aviation regulator said on Wednesday it would announce the resumption of scheduled commercial international flights in “due course” instead of a planned restart on Dec. 15 due to the global spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

“The situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a notice posted on Twitter.