Flyers Alert! Big announcement on commencement of domestic civil aviation operations

Union Minister for Civil Aviation (I/C), Hardeep Singh Puri has made a major announcement on commencement of domestic civil aviation operations. Taking to Twitter, Puri said, "Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday 25th May 2020. All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May. SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by @MoCA_GoI."

Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday 25th May 2020.

All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May.

SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by @MoCA_GoI.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2020

Earlier, on May 17, it was said by MHA that suspension of flight services will remain in force till May 31 as the government extended the ongoing countrywide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 spread. It said all domestic, international air travel of passengers, except domestic air ambulance, will remain prohibited.

All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 25, when the Modi government imposed lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Union home ministry had issued a 9-page list of guidelines indicating the dos and don'ts during lockdown 4.0 that has been clamped in the country to cut the chain of coronavirus infection. The guidelines came soon after the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) extended the national lockdown beyond Sunday till May-end.

Meanwhile,  an Air India flight with 145 evacuees from London landed at Vijayawada Airport on Wednesday. The flight, which took off from London with 333 passengers, reached Vijayawada via Kochi. This was the first flight to land at this airport since the beginning of the lockdown in March. Officials said after the medical screening and the immigration formalities, the passengers were transported to the designated locations for a 14-day quarantine.