Domestic Flights Will Start From May 25 : Things You Need To Know

With lockdown 4.0 beginning, many people have questions whether domestic flights will start or not. Putting an end to these queries, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri made an announcement that domestic flights will be allowed from May 25. However, this step will continue under some guidelines.

Source

The Minister took to twitter to inform the people. He tweeted, “All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May,”

The operations will be carried in a “calibrated manner” with passengers following the preventive guidelines for COVID-19.  Further flight details and information will be released soon during a press conference.

Important Things To Know

• As per media reports, passengers may be advised to carry only one baggage item.
• They will also have to reach the airports earlier than usual for required thermal testing and scanning. According to a proposal by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), passengers should reach the airport at least two hours before departure. The security gates would be shut one hour before the flight departure time.

Source

• Social distancing will be followed during the journey. People will have to stand at the marked areas all through the airports, maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres.
• All the trolleys will also be passed through a tunnel for disinfection.
• Passengers are also required to wear face masks and other protective gear. They must also carry hand sanitizer for cleaning hands frequently.
• The airports have also created quarantine centres where passengers with visible coronavirus symptoms will be kept.

For now, the airports are preparing for the upcoming flight operations.

Will the Middle Seat Remain Empty?

As far as keeping the middle seats are concerned, the aviation minister has made it clear that it is not viable and the step will increase the ticket fare.

Talking to the media, Puri said, “It’s not viable to keep the middle seat vacant. Even if you keep the middle seat vacant you’ll still have a situation where the prescribed distance for social distancing isn’t followed. If you were to do it then you’ve to hike up airline ticket price by 33 percent.”

A Big Relief

The aviation industry was at standstill since March 25 when the government announced a nation-wide lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.

This restart of flights is a big relief not just for passengers but also for the Indian aviation sector which is struggling due to the huge losses in lockdown. According to the reports, the losses of Indian airlines could be as high as $1.75 billion in the first quarter of FY21.

For updates, keep reading NewzonTips and subscribe to us.