COVID-19: Domestic flights suspended from March 24 midnight

In a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in India, the aviation ministry on Monday (March 23) announced all domestic flights will be halted from March 24 midnight and only cargo flights will be allowed.

The government has instructed all domestic carriers to plan operations and land at their destination before 11:59 PM on Tuesday.

The announcement came in the wake of COVID-19 cases in the country rising to 415 and claiming eight lives until Monday morning.

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All international flights had already been banned for a week.

With the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announcing a complete lockdown of the national capital, no flights will be allowed in or out of the Indian Gandhi International airport.

Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to stop flights to the state.

Domestic flights operated by IndiGo, Vistara, GoAir and SpiceJet were already curtailed due to lack of load and the latest ban will make Indian airports look like ghost towns with no passenger traffic at all.

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For the time being, the only flights that may arrive into any Indian airport are “rescue flights” –special flights that may bring back Indians stranded in various countries affected by the coronavirus.

Transport sector sealed

Long-distance trains, metros and sub-urban trains have already been suspended while buses are playing only within the states. Therefore, flights were the only mode of inter-state transport at this stage and the latest ban will ensure that state borders remain sealed.

Many state governments have already sealed their borders and put cities and towns under lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Airlines hit hard

With international services grinding to a standstill and domestic flights witnessing low loads, airline companies in Indian are now facing yet another blow.

IndiGo has already opted for salary cuts and other airlines have acknowledged that they are in financial distress. The scene all over the globe is one of red ink splattered across balance sheets of airline companies many of whom may face closure.

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No relief in sight

With the Central government urging states to impose lockdown strictly and take action against violators, there seems to be no relief in sight for the transport sector. Either services are banned or the demand is so thin that it does not make commercial sense of this vital sector that is struggling to cope up with the pandemic.

It seems relaxation of the restrictions imposed by the Centre and the States are not in sight in the near future and no such move can be expected till the COVID-19 spread gets arrested on account of social distancing.

(With inputs from G Ganapathy Subramaniam)