Indian-Aviation

More than 58,000 passengers flew on Monday as India resumed limited domestic air travel after two months because of the coronavirus shutdown, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. Airlines' plans to resume air travel were met with chaos and confusion on Monday after some states restricted the number of flights hours before departure, causing last-minute cancellations and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. Airlines, including IndiGo , India's biggest carrier, SpiceJet and Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, had been preparing to resume operations from Monday with about a third of their capacity amid strict rules. But new restrictions at major airports, including Mumbai and Chennai, forced airlines to scramble late on Sunday to revise schedules. The confusion will make it even harder for airlines to recover from the impact of a two-month lockdown to contain the novel coronavirus that has already cost tens of millions of ...

Private jets and chartered flights will be allowed to operate on domestic routes, the civil aviation ministry said in an order issued on Monday. As per the order, domestic air services by non- scheduled and private operators including Fixed Wing, Helicopters and Micro light aircraft shall resume with effect from May 25. The order comes on the day domestic flights operations resumed in the country after a two-month-long suspension due to lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The civil aviation ministry issued guidelines for non-schedule operator permit (NSOP) stating that passengers should report at the airport, heliport or helipad at least 45 minutes before the departure time. “Vulnerable persons, such as very elderly, pregnant ladies, passengers with health issues are advised to avoid air travel. However, this will not apply to air ambulance services,” it said. The guidelines said if a passenger has manually booked his or her ticket for a chartered helicopter flight, the b...

A total of 428 domestic passenger  flights  operated on Monday, clarified the  Civil Aviation  Ministry on Tuesday, hours after Civil Aviation Minister  Hardeep Singh Puri  said 832 flights operated on the day. An excel sheet issued by the ministry on Tuesday evening stated that 428 domestic flights carrying 30,550  passengers  departed for their destinations on Monday. It also showed 404 of the 428 flights arrived at their destinations on Monday itself. Remaining 28 flights reached their destinations on Tuesday (after midnight) after departing from their origin city on Monday (just before midnight). The ministry's clarification came on Tuesday after Puri said on Twitter, "Airports are abuzz and passengers are back in the air. 58,318 passengers flew to their destinations on 832 flights on the first day, 25th May till midnight." A departure is considered as one "flight". Puri had quoted the 832 "flight movements" - which is a sum of departures (428...

The Delhi government on Monday issued guidelines for domestic travel, including by flights, trains and interstate buses, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. According to the guidelines, asymptomatic passengers will be permitted to go with advice that they shall self monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the concerned Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) or state helpline number. All passengers shall be advised to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices. Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID health facilities. Those having mild symptoms will be given the option of home isolation or isolated in the COVID Care Centre, both public and private facilities," the guidelines said. Some trains to ferry stranded migrants and others have already started running while domestic air services resumed from Monday after two months. The Railways will operate 200 ...

The Supreme Court Monday allowed Air India to fly non-scheduled international flights without having to keep a seat empty between two passengers till June 6. The Centre and the national carrier had argued that flights were already booked and discontinuing the middle seat suddenly would lead to a logistical nightmare as one-third of bookings would have to be cancelled compounding problems for stranded passengers. The bench was hearing an appeal by the Centre and AI challenging the May 22 interim order of the Bombay High Court which had asked Air India to adhere to the Centre’s March 23 circular. The circular had said that allocation of seats be such that a seat is kept empty between two passengers. We are of the considered view that the petitioner – Air India should be allowed to operate the non-scheduled flights with the middle seats booking up to 6th June, 2020. However, after that the Air India will operate non-scheduled flights in accordance with the interim order to be passed by th...

Two months after they were grounded, 532 domestic flights crisscrossed the Indian skies Monday — the  first day of resumption of air services . Demand for non-metro routes is significantly higher than metro routes, with the Delhi-Patna route witnessing the highest number of bookings for the travel period between May 25 and May 31, according to information sourced from online travel agencies. The booking pattern is reflective of a trend which suggests bulk of the demand comprises those going to visit their homes or travelling for health-related procedures. "From no domestic passenger flights till yesterday to 532 flights & 39,231 passengers today, action has returned to Indian skies. With Andhra Pradesh set to resume operations from tomorrow & West Bengal from 28 May, these numbers are all set to increase further,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet. The Delhi-Patna route is highest demand, Delhi-Patna most bookings followed by sectors such as Delhi-...

Domestic airlines might be resuming services on Monday after being grounded for two months but scores of pilots and first officers seem to be concerned over lack of clarity on  quarantine requirements  for them. Several cockpit and cabin crew members have moved to their home towns from their base stations in the wake of the  nationwide lockdown  imposed on March 25. Now, many of them are returning to their base stations to report for duty. On May 20, Minister of State for Civil Aviation  Hardeep Singh Puri  announced that domestic passenger flights would resume in a calibrated manner from May 25, two months after the services were suspended due to the lockdown to curb spreading of coronavirus infections. PTI spoke to many captains and first officers from different airlines, including  IndiGo ,  Vistara  and  SpiceJet , about preparations for resumption of flights. Many of them raised concerns over issues like quarantine procedures, perso...

Indian airlines are staring at an unforeseen future ahead despite the gradual resumption of domestic flights allowed from next week as passenger sentiment is likely to remain subdued once initial pent up demand is over, industry experts and executives said. The capping of airfares by the government may further hurt airlines, which have already been incurring daily losses to tune of  ₹ 70-90 crore, and haven't received a bailout package or a revenue support from the government during its latest stimulus moves to revive the economy, said people involved in the industry. With muted travel sentiments, and capping of air fares, airlines are looking at huge losses in the coming quarters, said Nripendra Singh, industry principal, aerospace, defence and security practice at Frost & Sullivan. "Some smaller airlines may find it tough to survive and we could see mergers and acquisitions, and consolidation happen," Singh added. As things stand, India’s aviation industry is expect...

An unnecessary "fuss" is being made over quarantine of passengers on domestic flights, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said today, while discussing norms to be followed by airlines and passengers for the resumption of domestic operations from Monday. Mr Puri indicated that the government was not in favour of quarantining passengers on short-haul flights and that the larger question of quarantining would have to be dealt with in a "pragmatic manner". "Why are we making a fuss over quarantine? Positive cases won't be boarding and there can be asymptomatic people. The quarantine issue will be dealt with in a pragmatic manner. We can't have 14 days quarantine... it is not practical," the aviation minister said. "In case you test positive, then you will not even be permitted to enter the airport or board flights," Mr Puri added, referring to  revised SOPs governing check-in at airports . He also asked all passengers to take "a ...

Rashmi Soni, VP & Head of Corporate Communications, Vistara, talks about how the company is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, leveraging digital and the paradigm shift in communication post-COVID After two months of inactivity, domestic flights can finally resume flying from May 25 after receiving the green signal from the Indian government. Returning to the skies seems a reality after such a long stop. According to a report by CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory, the aviation industry has been incurring daily losses of around 65 crores due to shutdown of operations. .Dire situations like these require desperate attempts of survival. The role of corporate communications becomes prudent in managing the crisis. With their exceptional communication and management skills, corporate communicators are heroes without capes in gloomy conditions like these. One of them being Rashmi Soni- VP & Head of Corporate Communications with Vistara – TATA SIA Airlines Ltd. Rashmi is responsible for for...