India on Monday suspended all flights connecting the United Kingdom till December 31, over the report of a new Covid strain there, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry said.

The ban will come into effect from 11.59 pm on December 22 and all passengers arriving from the UK before the suspension deadline will be mandatorily tested on arrival at airports, the ministry stated.

"Considering the prevailing situation in the UK. Govt. of India has decided that all flights originating from the UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours)," the Civil Aviation Ministry posted on Twitter.

The order from the ministry also stated that passengers arriving on flights from the UK in all transit flights before Wednesday midnight will be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned.

"As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned," the ministry said in another tweet.

Canada, Belgium, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, Denmark, Netherlands and Italy have temporarily suspended flights from the UK.

Over 40 weekly flights of Air India, Virgin Atlantic, Vistara and British Airways, operate between India and the UK.