You Will Be Able To Fly Again From May 25 As India Announces Restart Of Domestic Flights

After nearly two months of suspension, the aviation sector in India is all set to take it to the skies once again as the government has given the green signal for the resumption of domestic flights.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said domestic scheduled commercial passenger flights will resume in a calibrated manner from May 25.

AFP

All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 25, when the Modi government imposed lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday, May 25, 2020. All airports and air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May," Puri said on Twitter.

Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday 25th May 2020.

All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May.

SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by @MoCA_GoI.

¡ª Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2020

"SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for passenger movement are also being separately issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation," he added.

AP

Several airlines including Air India had already started taking bookings since earlier this week. It was earlier expected that the government will allow the resumption of domestic flights from May 18, as part of the relaxations under Lockdown 4.0, however it did not happen.

There were reports that the government had agreed on resumption of flights between green zones, but the airlines were not in favour of this as most of the big airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, etc were in red zones.

Once the flights resume, the passengers will have to report at the airport well in advance, at least 2-3 hours before the departure, as against the 45 minutes which was the norm till now. Passengers will also have to adhere to strict social distancing norms both at the airport and inside the flights.

AFP

To reduce maximum contact, meals will be placed on the seats before boarding. Initially, it was proposed that the middle seat will be kept empty, however, it is not clear yet if this will be implemented as airlines had opposed the suggestion. The use of masks, face shields, and gloves could also be made mandatory for the flyers. Another major change that is likely to be enforced is the use of the Aarogya Setu app for all the passengers to gain access to the airport.

AP

The government had haled all domestic and international flights on March 25 as it started a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus. No indication was given on when international travel would resume.