New airport guidelines for flyers post-lockdown on the anvil: CISF

Reporting two hours before flight time armed with protective gear like masks, gloves, 100-ml sanitisers and flying with a seat vacant between every two people could be the “new normal" for air travellers when schedule passenger flights resume.

New Delhi: As of now, there is no clarity from the government to resume flights operation but the Civil Aviation Ministry, Airport Authority Of India (AAI), Director General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other stakeholders are working together on how to resume the operation post lockdown.

Meanwhile, airport security Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has made a new necessary plan for flyers post-lockdown, when schedule commercial flights resume.

In the new plan submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), CISF said that when flight operation resumes:

• Passengers need to reach at the airport two hours before their flight timing with proper protective gear (mask, gloves, and sanitisers).
• The civil aviation ministry must place sanitiser bottles at entry and exit points of the airports for passengers and employees.
• One seat should be left vacant between every two people on board.
• Airlines should make it clear for the passengers to whom so ever booking tickets, they should give details of their home/self-quarantine history.
• If any passengers flying after quarantine history, CISF will screening them in isolation checking point where CISF officers will be covered full personal protective equipment (PPE) suit. Airlines crew will offer sanitisers to every onboard passenger.

According to the officials, the plan is under consideration and the idea behind it is to seek staggering flights to avoid crowding at airports at any time.

"We have proposed a new plan incorporating necessary precaution in view of the change of circumstances due to COVID-19. This has been sent to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for consideration," GA Ganapathy, Special Director (Airport) of CISF, told reporters.

Passenger flight operations in India are suspended from March 25, due to coronavirus.

Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA) Hardeep Puri tweeted, "The current Lockdown on both domestic & international passenger flights is till April 15. A decision to restart the flights after this period remains to be taken. If required, we will have to assess the situation on a case by case basis."

ANI Report