Domestic Flights Ready To Take Off? Know What Is The Government Planning

The Central government is planning to resume commercial domestic flights; some senior officials in the industry confirmed. Some changes in the standard procedure will be made to ensure the safety of travellers and flight staff.

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Talking to the media, a senior official from the civil aviation ministry said that the government has issued a circular to airports, airlines, and local third parties handling the flights. If everything goes right, commercial flights will resume in a few weeks in a staggering manner.

Seeking Suggestions

The final groundwork is yet to be laid. Right now, the government is seeking suggestions from different stakeholders like airlines, airports, and the state government. “…suggestions were sought on a draft discussion paper from airlines and airports. The suggestions have now been received. The final SOP is yet to be issued,” said an official to the media.

The major delay in the procedure of flight resumption is because of the state governments. Some source of traffic is in the Green Zone, while a majority of them is in the Red Zone. It will be impossible for the Central home ministry to give the nod without consulting the state governments.

Changes in SOP

Though the finalization of the new rules is yet to be done, there are few changes in the Standard Operating Procedure that are already confirmed by the central government.

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Unlike earlier, baggage tags will not be used. The passengers may have to identify their luggage. Flight catering and food services will also be on a halt. A ticket bar code will be given to the passengers for access to the airport.

On the promise of anonymity, the official also confirmed that only healthy persons would be allowed to travel in the flights, for the sake of fellow passengers and flight staff’s safety. However, the criteria for choosing who is healthy and who is not has not been decided yet.

Technological Advancements

Thankfully, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has started to work on the resumption of flights early on. It has already developed some devices that will help in maintaining safety.

UV (ultraviolet) based tunnels are installed in the airports to disinfect the luggage. Mobile UV towers and handheld UV devices are also developed by the DIAL for floor and other materials at the airport.

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Once passed through the UV tunnels, the baggage will come out from the tunnel. This whole disinfection procedure will take only five minutes. Live CCTV footage will be run in the Baggage Reclaim hall for passengers to see the disinfection process.

Once everything is settled between the central governments, aviation parties, and the state governments, the Central Home ministry will give the final nod.

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