May 27, 2020 [4:20 PM]
Domestic flights resumed in India from 25th May, 2020. All states have adopted different guidelines to ensure that the spread of coronavirus is contained and eliminated before leading to further community spread. Many quarantine and self-isolations methods have been undertaken by different states for all passengers arriving through flights, even asymptomatic travellers. Symptomatic travellers are to be taken to hospitals directly for testing.State-wise rules for quarantine and self-isolation:
Maharashtra/Delhi/Telangana/Andhra Pradesh/Madhya Pradesh/Tamil Nadu/Gujarat: No mandatory isolations for asymptomatic travellers but self-isolation for 14 days advised. Symptomatic travellers with severe symptoms to be isolated in Covid-19 wards for testing and those with mild symptoms given the option of isolating in Covid-19 wards/hotels or self-isolation.Karnataka: Passengers travelling from Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan to be quarantined in state-provided facilities for 1 week and self-isolation for another week. Passengers travelling from less-affected states to be asked to self-isolate at home for 2 weeks. All medical, defense, paramilitary and railway personnels to be home quarantined for 14 days. Only exemptions to business people carrying Covid-19 negative test reports from ICMR-approved laboratories two days before the date of travel.
Punjab/Tripura/Manipur/Uttar Pradesh/Rajasthan/Kerala/Chhattisgarh: All passengers to be put to home quarantine for 14 days. Only in Uttar Pradesh, testing will be conducted on the 6th day for passengers and if they are tested negative, they can end their quarantine early. Passengers flying to Chhattisgarh can also opt for hotel quarantine.
Bihar: All passengers to be put to “paid quarantine” for 14 days.
Jammu and Kashmir/Odisha/Mizoram: All passengers to be put to institutional quarantine for 14 days. Flyers arriving at Odisha can also be home quarantined. In Mizoram, only permanent state residents and government employees will be allowed to return.
Goa: All passengers have an option of paying INR 2,000 and getting testing or a 14 days home quarantine period.
Assam: Flyers to be compulsarily asked for 14-days quarantine. They will be divided into home or institutional quarantine.
Meghalaya: Passengers to be picked from Guwahati airport and kept in isolation for 48 hours. Only if tested negative, they will be allowed to go home.
Himachal Pradesh: Only permanent residents of the state allowed to return and will be kept in isolation for 28 days - 7 days in institutional quarantine and 21 days in home quarantine.
Stay tuned here for more details regarding updates for flight travels.
May 21, 2020 [4:20 PM]
After suspending all domestic flights for nearly two months due to the infamous virus, the Civil Aviation Minister stated on Wednesday, May 20 that domestic flights will resume operation from May 25, exactly two months after the sector was shut down.Though cargo, medical evacuation and repatriation flights carried on with their services during the nation lockdown, passenger airlines have remained dormant for nearly 2 months. The Minister of Aviation had stated the sector’s preparedness to pick up from where it left off, as soon as it received a green signal from the Centre.
On May 20, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that domestic flight services will resume from May 25, but in a calibrated manner. The Ministry will soon announce the SOP for domestic travel via airlines. Airports Authority of India’s Directorate of operations states that airports will facilitate domestic as well as international flights in phases, once the nationwide lockdown is lifted. However, social distancing is the need of the hour, and to maintain distance from one another, airlines capacity may reduce to a mere 30%, to begin with. Flights will also be limited to Tier I and major Tier-II cities.
Earlier this month, the government has conveyed words to airport managers across the country, informing them to be prepared for the resumption of service, after which airports across the country have introduced certain preventive measures to avoid community transmission within the airport premises. The minister has outlined some of the rules and regulations to be followed by prospective passengers.
- The Aarogya Setu application should be installed in each and every mobile phone.
- It is mandatory for the passengers to fill up a questionnaire related to COVID-19, to check his/her awareness regarding the virus.
- They should also print their own boarding passes, as no queue will be encouraged, anywhere.
- They must reach 2 hours before the time of departure.
- Masks to be made compulsory along with thermal screening of every passenger.
- As the virus has the potential to linger on surfaces for hours, baggage may be reduced to one per passenger.
- No cabin baggage will be permitted.
- No in-flight services to be provided.