Domestic flights resume after 2 months: Delhi's first departure is to Pune
After a gap of two months, Indian skies will open up for domestic passenger services from Monday (May 25), with Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights being among the first to take off, aviation industry sources said.
After a gap of two months, Indian skies will open up for domestic passenger services from Monday (May 25), with Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights being among the first to take off, aviation industry sources said.
Amid the coronavirus scare, the flight operations resumed across the country except in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal with safety measures. Both the flights will be operated by IndiGo on Monday morning. While the Delhi-Pune flight is scheduled to depart at 4.45 am, the Mumbai-Patna flight would depart at 6.45 am.
All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended since March 25 when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Aviation industry sources said the first passenger flight would be 6E643 from Delhi airport and it is likely to be operated by aircraft VT-ITK, which is an A320neo plane of IndiGo. The sources added the first domestic passenger flight to arrive at Delhi airport on Monday would be from Ahmedabad and it is of SpiceJet. “The flight SG8194, which would be conducted by B737 model numbered VT-SGQ, would be landing at 7.45 am at Delhi airport,” one of the sources said.
Delhi: Passengers screened using a thermometer gun before boarding Vistara – Delhi to Bhubaneswar (Odisha) flight, scheduled to depart from IGI Airport, Terminal-3 at 6:50 am today. pic.twitter.com/WcAe44VBi8
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2020
The Mumbai airports operator MIAL said in a statement, “The first flight departing out of CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport ) will be to Patna at 6:45hrs and flight arriving from Lucknow will be the first arrival flight at 8:20hrs both operated by IndiGo.”
Meanwhile, flight attendants who arrived at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, Terminal-3, said that they have to do less interaction with passengers now in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. “We are a little worried but work comes first. We will get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits from the airline,” Amandeep Kaur, a flight attendant, told ANI.
According to reports, food and beverage and retail outlets opened at the airport as domestic flight services resumed.
Delhi: Food & beverage (F&B) and retail outlets open at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Terminal-3 as domestic flight operations have resumed from today. pic.twitter.com/2ijyFEL7Xy
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2020
Following the announcement of domestic flights resumption, the Airports Authority of India on Thursday issued (SOP) for airports as part of preparations for the recommencement of domestic commercial flight operations.
According to the SOPs, airports have been advised to ensure that passenger seating arrangement shall be done in such a manner so as to maintain social distancing among passengers using chairs by blocking those seats that are not to be used, with proper markers/tapes.
All passengers also must compulsorily be registered with the Aarogya Setu app on their phones as per the directives.
Apart from this, alternate check-in counters should be used to avoid congestion. The airport staff must be provided PPE kits, face masks etc, and should also be provided with hand sanitisers.
It was announced last Thursday that one-third of pre-lockdown domestic flights will operate from Monday. All international scheduled commercial passenger flights remain suspended.
(With inputs from agencies)
