The Civil Aviation Ministry has announced the reopening of Indian skies for domestic flights from 25th May in a calibrated manner. All domestic and international flight operations were halted two months ago as India went into nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel-coronavirus.

domestic flights resume

In an earlier announcement, the Government of India (GOI) had stopped domestic and international flights till 31st May. However, on the evening of 20th May, the GOI reversed its stance and given the green light to domestic commercial aviation. However, scheduled international flights are still grounded and await government approval. The ticket bookings for these domestic flights have also begun.

In addition, the government has now also issued fresh guidelines for passengers as well as airports in order to ensure the highest standards of safety amidst the outbreak. Take a look at these below.

As per the new standard operating procedure issued by the government, passengers will need to report at the airport about two hours prior to their scheduled flight departure to ensure social distancing at every level. Thermal screening of travellers will be conducted at departure as well as arrival. Moreover, as expected, masks, Aarogya Setu app and web check-in are mandatory for flyers. However, the app is not necessary for children below 14 years of age.

Flyers will now be permitted to carry a 350 ml sanitiser on board. In order to minimise the risk of the spread of the infection, boarding pass stamping has been done away with. Also, flyers will now be required to fill a questionnaire about their travel history.

Special boarding and deboarding procedures have also been announced by the authorities. Inflight services have been curtailed and no low-cost carrier will be offering in-flight meals. Full-service carriers have been allowed to offer only packed-meals to passengers.

Thus, the GOI is doing its best to ensure the highest levels of safety for travellers.