SOPs for passenger movement also being separately issued by Ministry, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Government of India today said that domestic flights and civil aviation operations will resume from 25 May in a "calibrated" manner. According to the minister, special operating procedures (SOPs) for passenger movement are being separately issued.

"Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from 25 May. All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25 May. SOPs for passenger movement also being separately issued by Ministry," tweeted Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

The announcement came amid the fourth phase of the lockdown which was imposed by the government on 25 March in order to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Earlier, Puri had said that the domestic flight operations in India will resume once the state governments are ready to open airports. The Centre alone can not make a decision in this regard, he said.

"It is not upto @MoCA_GoI or centre alone to decide on resuming domestic flights. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the govt of states where these flights will take off & land should be ready to allow civil aviation operations," tweeted the aviation minister.

Commercial flight operations in the country have been suspended since March 25 when the government first imposed a nationwide lockdown. Currently, the citizens are observing the fourth phase of the lockdown in which several relaxation in the movement and various other operations including availability of services have been allowed in almost all places barring the containment zones in the country.

The Airports Authority of India on Sunday had also issued for passengers once the flight services resume. The authority says that passengers need to mandatorily download the Aarogya Setu app, do a web-check in and carry a print out of their boarding pass before heading to the airport to catch a flight. It also stated that air travellers must maintain a distance of four feet from co-passengers, wear a mask and other protective gear, wash or sanitise their hands frequently and carry a 350 ml bottle of sanitiser all the time.

Courtesy: LiveMint

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