A day after announcing the recommencement of domestic flights, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has today Thursday 21stMay 2020 issued detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to all airports. India looks forward to resuming domestic flights on Monday, eight weeks after a nationwide lockdown that was aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Earlier on 25 March, India shut down its $2.9 trillion (£2.3tn) economy, closing its businesses and issuing strict stay-at-home orders to more than a billion people. It was one of the first countries to impose heavy travel restrictions, including suspending most visas and eventually stopping all international flights. It also banned trains and flights within the country when the lockdown began.
However, domestic flights with in India will be commenced amidst new set rules for passengers and flight crew members. As part of the new directives, both passengers and crew will need to have downloaded a government contact-tracing app, and they will also be subject to thermal screening once contacted. Flyers will also need to wear masks and gloves while inside airports at all times.
In a twiter post, Hardeep Puri, the Indian Civil aviation minister said all airports and airlines had been requested to prepare for operations.
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.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2020
Read a Twitter post by @HardeepSPuri
However, it’s currently not clear which routes will be operational on India’s busy domestic sector. That decision has been left up to individual state governments.
Earlier on 25 March, India shut down its $2.9 trillion (£2.3tn) economy, closing its businesses and issuing strict stay-at-home orders to more than a billion people. It was one of the first countries to impose heavy travel restrictions, including suspending most visas and eventually stopping all international flights. It also banned trains and flights within the country when the lockdown began.
Bellow is a detailed set of guidelines for passengers which will be applied across the country as announced by the minister:
Prior to entering the airport;
Passengers are expected to get to the airport two hours ahead of their flights, must “compulsorily” undergo thermal screening and will have to show officials that they are marked as “safe” on Aarogya Setu, India’s Covid-19 contact tracing app. Children under the age of 14 are exempt.People will also need to be in masks and gloves, and are only allowed to use select taxi services and private vehicles.
Waiting areas will have taped off or marked seats that cannot be used and the use of luggage trolleys will be discouraged. Baggage will be sanitised before flyers are allowed to enter and mats and carpets soaked with a bleach will be placed at terminal entrances to disinfect shoes.
Airport staff will be provided with hand sanitisers and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
Delhi International Airport Limited (Dial), which operates the airport in the capital, had earlier said that “a slew of measures are being rolled out” in preparation for commercial flights to resume.
These include “specially designed ultraviolet (UV) based tunnels to disinfect check point trays and baggage, mobile UV towers to disinfect surfaces in terminal areas and hand held UV devices”.
Getting on and off flights;
People will have to get on and off aircraft sequentially and in batches, so as to maintain social distancing.
There had been some speculation that the middle seats on flights would be kept empty to maintain social distancing, but Mr Puri told news agency ANI that this was not “viable”.
Even if “you keep the middle seat vacant you’ll still have a situation where prescribed distance for social distancing isn’t followed”, the minister said, adding that this would lead to a 33% hike in ticket prices.
Several states had expressed concerns over resuming flights as cities like Delhi and Mumbai are still red zones meaning they are still seeing a rise in infections.
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