Cancelled flights, confusion and passengers adjusting to a barrage of new rules - that’s how Day 1 of resumption of domestic flights looked like at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Reopening the flight services within the country after two months of lockdown didn’t quite go without hiccups.
How Does Air Travel Look Like In Times of COVID-19?
Nitish Kumar, a techie working in Bengaluru took the first flight out on Monday, 25 May to Delhi, from where he planned to take a cab back to his hometown in Saharanpur.
Describing how travelling in flights will be like in times of COVID-19, Kumar said, “When we entered the gates at Kempegowda Airport in Bengaluru, they checked if the Aarogya Setu app gave us a green signal to travel. Inside the airports, there were thermal screening, our luggage was sanitised and we were provided with a kit of masks, plastic screens, sanitizers and gloves before boarding. When seated inside the flights, although the middle seats were not left vacant, people were being careful about not touching or brushing against each other. After arrival, our luggage was again kept at a minimum distance from each other.”
Chaos Over Cancelled Flights
There were at least 80 flights that were cancelled from the IGI airport itself. Cancellations were also reported from other towns and cities of the country.
The Quint spoke to some passengers at the T3 terminal who said that airlines informed about the cancellations only at the last minute or after midnight. Some claimed that airlines failed to make changes on their website about information regarding the cancelled flights.
A report by the IANS said the cancellations were because of the confusion created by SOPs released by different states a day before air travel was supposed to resume.
Mohit, a classical singer by profession is travelling to Guwahati and is willing to follow all the quarantine norms taken out by the Assam government. He said his flight was initially from Jaipur but he received a message at 2 AM in the night saying his flight has been cancelled. “I had to arrange for a cab overnight and come to Delhi to take the next flight out to Guwahati. I had come for a musical programme in Jaipur and got stuck due to the lockdown. So can’t wait to return home.”
The Centre has allowed limited passenger flights -- about one-third of the summer schedule - to operate between Metros and other destinations from 25 May.
Passenger air services were suspended on March 25 due to the nationwide lockdown to check the Covid-19 spread.
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