Impact of Covid-19 on International Flights

Weekly update | Omicron variant

Last updated : 17 January 2022
Data Source: IATA Timatic Coronavirus Outbreak updates, Government web sources,
information received from IOM staff, DTM networks and trusted media outlets. 

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529, named Omicron, a variant of concern on the advice of WHO’s
Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). Since the Omicron variant was designated, new countries, territories
or areas (C/T/As) have implemented more stringent mobility restrictions for individuals. The map below shows the interna-
tional air travel connections that are currently suspended.

Overview of flight suspensions worldwide

Direct connections affected

Connections suspended

Connections not suspended

Timeline:
Overview of flight suspensions over time
Number of C/T/As issuing flight suspensions
18 December 2020: The Alpha and Beta
Flight suspensions variants were designated variants of concern,
and soon after the designation 35 C/T/As
60 issued new flight suspensions on international
flights.
50
Alpha and Beta

11 May 2021: The Delta variant was designat-

40 ed as a variant of concern, this time the
No. Of C/T/As

Omicron
Delta

number of C/T/As issuing flight suspensions

30 fluctuated until early June, and then it started
decreasing until the Omicron variant was
20
designated.

10
26 November 2021: The Omicron variant was
designated as a variant of concern and as a
0
result 18 C/T/As (*) issued new flight suspen-
2020-11

2021-11
2021-01

2021-03

2021-05

2021-07

2021-09

2022-01

sions, reaching a peak of 34 C/T/As issuing

flight suspensions by 6 December 2021.
Between 6 December 2021 and 31 December
2021, 9 C/T/As lifted flight suspensions and 1
C/T/As issued new flight suspensions. Since
1 January 2022, 6 C/T/As lifted flight suspen-
sions and 2 C/T/As issued new flight suspen-
sions.
(*) Uzbekistan, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Turkey, Australia, Egypt, Italy, Slovak Republic, Angola, Spain, Réunion, Caribbean Netherlands, Austria, Jordan, Rwanda, Portugal, Poland, and Malta.
 C/T/As most affected by flight suspensions After the Alpha and Beta variants were
designated as variants of concern on 18
December 2021, flight suspensions
60 to/from specific C/T/As were issued
—specially those where the variants
South Africa
Mozambique
50 Namibia were first documented. The United
Lesotho
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
No. Of C/T/As

Botswana

40
Eswatini
Zimbabwe
Ireland received the most flight suspen-
United Kingdom sions, followed by a group of South
Brazil
African C/T/As. The designation of the

Omicron
30
Delta variant as a variant of concern on
11 May 2021 had less of an impact on
Alpha and Beta

20
flight suspensions. When the Omicron
10 Delta variant was designated as a variant of
concern on 26 November 2021, routes
0 to/from South Africa were more affect-
ed than any other C/T/A in the region,
2020-11

2021-11
2021-01

2021-03

2021-05

2021-07

2021-09

2022-01
with flight suspensions being issued by
24 C/T/As as of 17 January 2022.

Matrix of C/T/As receiving and issuing flight suspensions

Flights suspended Flights not suspended
The horizontal axis represents C/T/As
South Africa − 24
issuing flight suspensions, whereas the
C/T/As receiving flight suspensions

Lesotho − 23

Mozambique − 23 vertical axis represents the top 16

Namibia − 23
C/T/As receiving flight suspensions.
Botswana − 22

Eswatini − 22

Zimbabwe − 22 Southern African C/T/As are the most

Malawi − 18
affected by flight suspensions. Namely,
United Rep. of Tanzania
flights from/to South Africa, Namibia,
− 17

Zambia − 17

Australia − 16 Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and

Ethiopia
Hong Kong SAR, China
− 16

− 16
Zimbabwe are suspended by more than
Pakistan − 16 22 C/T/As. On the other hand, 7 C/T/As
Philippines − 16
(American Samoa, India, Lao People's
United States of America
Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Equato-
− 16

rial Guinea, Turkmenistan, and Moroc-

Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of)
American Samoa
Equatorial Guinea
India
Lao People's Dem. Rep.

Madagascar
Morocco
Myanmar

Algeria
Kazakhstan

Netherlands (the)
Turkmenistan

Saint Barthélemy
Saint-Martin
Martinique

Suriname
Uzbekistan

Rep. of Korea
Hong Kong SAR, China
Italy
Jordan
Kuwait
Poland
Portugal
Réunion
Russian Federation
Dominican Rep.
Kenya

Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis

co) have cancelled all international flight

connections.

C/T/As issuing flight suspensions

C/T/As receiving flight suspensions worldwide