Civil Aviation Ministry extends capping of flight fare on domestic routes till November 24

On Friday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation extended the June 26 order regarding the opening of domestic flight operations in a calibrated manner till 11.59 pm on November 24, 2020, or until further orders. The Centre has exercised its power conferred by sub-section (1) of section 8B of the Aircraft Act, 1934. This implies that the fares of flight tickets on domestic routes shall continue to be capped.

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Domestic operations commence in a calibrated manner

Addressing a press briefing on May 21, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had announced that the domestic flight operations shall be restricted to 1/3rd capacity of the approved summer schedule 2020. He explained the capacity for three categories of operations- metro to metro cities, metro to non-metro cities, and non-metro-non-metro cities. Puri elaborated that metro cities imply Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.

During the briefing, Puri reiterated that no meal services would be available on the flight. He mentioned that the cabin crew must wear a full protective suit. The Union Civil Aviation Minister also clarified that the passengers shall have to abide by the norms set by the destination state. Moreover, he said that the flight routes had been divided into 7 sections-flying times of fewer than 40 minutes, from 40 to 60 minutes, 60-90 minutes, 90-120 minutes, 120-150 minutes, 150-180 minutes and from 180 to 210 minutes. He added that the lower and upper limit of the airline fares will be capped by the Centre. 

Protocol for management of the airline crew

Recently, the DGCA revised its protocol for the management of the airline crew during the COVID-19 crisis. The risk assessment for the crew shall be done by the concerned airline doctor and the crew will be advised for COVID-19 testing according to the ICMR guidelines. Based on the risk assessment, it will be determined whether the crew should be subjected to 14 days of home quarantine or not. But, home quarantine is mandatory for a crew member who comes in contact with a novel coronavirus case during flight operations.