New Delhi: India's aviation regulator DGCA has extended the suspension of domestic flights by a fortnight till April 14 in view of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Director General of Civil Aviation had earlier stopped operations of passenger flights on all domestic routes from March 25 to March 31.

"All domestic operators engage in scheduled, non-scheduled and private aircaraft operations in India shall ensure strict compliance of the order," said a DGCA circular.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the disease.

The aviation industry has been one of the major economic sectors to have been impacted due to the pandemic and there have been calls for government support to the sector.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 724. Besides 640 active cases, the country has reported 17 casualties so far. As many as 66 persons have recovered.