Regular Flight Operations To Resume By January 2021: Hardeep Singh Puri

Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday at a B-school event announced that regular flight operations will resume in a pre-COVID manner by the end of December or by the beginning of 2021.

“Domestic flight operation resumed on May 25, two months and two days after the complete lockdown, serving 30000 passengers every day. On Diwali, the numbers jumped to 2.25 lakh passengers.” Puri said during the event.

Puri further added that currently, domestic airlines are operating at a 70 percent capacity in a calibrated manner, and they are aiming for 80 percent soon and by the end of December 2020 or by early January 2021, the airline industry would resume its normal operations.

Puri also said that once civil aviation in the country becomes completely operational, it will be mandatory to fortify the current safety rules. “It requires professional people to set up those protocols as well as self-discipline,” he said.

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements formed between India and other countries since July.

Till now, India has the same air bubble arrangements in place with a total of 22 countries which includes Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Maldives, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK) And, United States of America (USA)

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