As the Government of India looks forward to normalizing life and cautiously open the country after lockdown, passenger flights are next to resume operations. The Government today announced that domestic passenger flights will resume operations ‘in a calibrated’ manner from Monday, May 25. The Standard Operation Procedures for passenger movement will be issued soon.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from 25 May. All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25 May.” Earlier, the Minister had said that the domestic flight operations in India will resume once the state governments are ready to open airports.
The government and the airlines, have been conditioning people about the “new normal” when flights start again, with fewer passengers in a flight and the middle seat left vacant for physical distancing. The Airports Authority of India has issued guidelines for the resumption of flights in a “graded manner”. Passengers will need to follow stringent social distancing norms like maintaining at least four-feet distance from other co-passengers once the operation resumes. Masks will be mandatory for all.