E-Paper
City back on aerial map, 7 flights resume tomorrow
AFTER 60 DAYS Two flights will resume on Wednesday (May 27) and four on June 1; all passengers, except those below 14 years of age, need to have Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones to board the flight
After a gap of two months, Chandigarh international airport is ready to resume its operations with a schedule of 13 of the 44 flights, seven of which will start from Monday, two on May 27 and four on June 1.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) released the schedule of flights to and from Chandigarh on Saturday. These flights will connect seven destinations — Srinagar, Delhi, Mumbai, Leh, Bangalore, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad.
The flight operations at the airport were shut since March 24 due to nationwide lockdown in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Airport’s chief executive officer (CEO) Ajay Bhardwaj said they have also formulated SOPs for the safety of passengers and airport staff, which include social distancing, stringent thermal screening. “Passengers are requested to adhere to all the instructions and carry printed boarding pass,” he said.
“We are expecting a footfall of 5,000 to 6,000 on Day One. Frequency of flights and more destinations will be added gradually. Our office is working as it was before the lockdown and the security is in place. Checking of passengers will be done according to the government guidelines.”
The airport suffered a loss of ₹15 crore due to suspension flights for two months.
Vivek Nijhawan, in-flight caterer at the airport, was of the opinion that food should have been allowed during the flight.
DOS AND DON’TS FOR PASSENGERS
1.Passengers to reach airport two hours ahead of the flight timing with proper protective gear — mask, gloves, and sanitisers.
2.Only flyers with confirmed web check-in will be allowed to enter the airport terminal.
3.Passengers must compulsorily walk through a thermal screening zone before entering the airport terminal building.
4.No food will be served inside the flight
5.Only the asymptomatic will be allowed to travel.
6.All flyers must instal Aarogya Setu app on their phones except the children below the age of 14 years. If they do not show “green” on Aarogya Setu mobile app or do not have the government contact tracing app, they will not be allowed to fly.
