Lockdown 4.0: Updated Rules To Be Followed For Domestic Flights In India

Highlights:

• Domestic flights in India to resume from 25^th May from all major cities
• Rules have been laid down which will be must to be followed

One day after Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Aviation Minister, announced that the domestic flights will resume in India from the 25^th of May, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), today, issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the airports for the recommencement of the domestic flights in India.

It will be mandatory for all the passengers to walk through thermal screening zone before they can enter the airport terminal building. Also everyone will have to have the Aarogya Setu application on their device, however, the app will not be mandatory for children under the age of 14 years.

AAI, in a statement, said, “Airport operators must make appropriate arrangement for sanitisation of passengers’ baggage before entry into terminal building,”.

Let us take a look at some of the SOPs

These SOPs will be mandatory to be followed by airport operators:

1. Passengers will have to wear gloves and masks
2. Passengers will have to reach the airport well in advance, at least 2 hours before the flight time
3. Aarogya Setu app will be mandatory for all people and without a green tick on the app, people will not be allowed to enter the airport premise
4. Children under 14 years of age will not be mandatory to have Aarogya Setu app
5. Baggage will be sanitised before they enter the terminal
6. Boarding will only be done in small batches and maintaining social distancing norms
7. Airport Authorities will have to make constant announcement about social distancing norms
8. All airport staff members must wear PPEs and hand sanitisers
9. All passengers should wear hand sanitisers
10. In the terminal building/ lounges no magazines and newspapers will be provided to passengers
11. At passenger touchpoints, staff to either wear face shields behind counter or put glass wall at counter
12. 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.
13. Trolleys will not be allowed at the departure or arrival sections, except special cases
14. Respective state governments and administrations will have to make sure that public transport and private taxis for passengers and airline crew are available.

It shall be verified by the Central Industrial Security Force/Airport staff at the entry gate. However, Aarogya Setu is not mandatory for children below the age of 14 years: Airports Authority of India (AAI) https://t.co/4X1GGDipDx

— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2020

Nations around the globe have now easing the restriction on lockdown which were imposed to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

Domestic operations of aviation in India will resume 6 days ahead of the scheduled end of Lockdown 4.0 said the Civil Aviation Minister, hardeep Singh Puri, on Monday.

All the airports and airlines have already been informed to be ready to recommence operations, the minister said on Twitter adding that SOPs for passenger movement are being separately issued by the ministry of civil aviation.

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

On the 25^th of March, India suspended all flights when the Indian government first imposed a nationwide lockdown to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown has since been extended thrice. The current lockdown will end on 31 May.