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4-feet social distance, Aarogya Setu app must: AAI rules for air travel
Passengers will have to wear a mask and other protective gear and maintain at least four-feet physical distance from co-passengers, the guidelines said.
Downloading the Aarogya Setu app on mobile phones will be mandatory for travelling by air, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said on Friday while issuing guidelines for resumption of flights in a “graded manner”.
Passengers will have to wear a mask and other protective gear and maintain at least four-feet physical distance from co-passengers, the guidelines said.
Passengers will also have to do a web check-in before the journey and carry a print-out of the boarding pass, AAI said.
They will also be required to wash or sanitise their hands frequently, AAI said. On Thursday the bureau of civil aviation issued guidelines for enhancement of admissible limit of hand sanitisers to be carried in cabin baggage.
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“Due to the spread of the coronavirus infection, passengers are being advised to use hand sanitisers frequently. Therefore it has been decided that the passengers boarding an aircraft will be allowed to carry in his/her hand baggage liquid hand sanitisers up to 350 ml,” the guidelines said. Restrictions on other liquid items will continue to be 100 ml.
The stamping of boarding passes has also been suspended to reduce contact between passengers and security staff. India has suspended domestic passenger flights since the lockdown announced on March 25, while international flights were suspended before March 22.
Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Puri has said domestic flights are expected to resume soon in a gradual manner. He said airports are likely to open in a graded manner with nearly 25-30% of its capacity initially.
Once restrictions on passenger flights are lifted, airports will facilitate limited domestic and international scheduled flights in phases and may be at 30% capacity to facilitate social distancing, the Airport Authority of India had stated in a set of guidelines for resumption of service post-lockdown, Hindustan Times had reported on April 30.
Flight operations to its original level are likely to be scaled up in a gradual manner, according to the government’s plan. Airline operations are likely to begin in tier-I cities first, it added.
In a draft standard operating procedures (SOPs) proposed by the civil aviation ministry for passengers, airlines and airport operators it was suggested that cabin luggage will be barred and passengers aged above 80 years will not be allowed on flights when air travel services begin. The SOP had also suggested passenger ID checks will not be required so as to minimise the crowd at terminal gates.
The Indian Railways has also made it mandatory for passengers to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones before commencing their train journey, the railway ministry said on Tuesday as services connecting 15 destinations with New Delhi resumed, reversing an earlier guideline.
A similar instruction mandating the app may also be issued for passengers boarding flights when they resume, according to draft standard operating procedures sent by the civil aviation ministry to airlines and airport operators for feedback. The Centre has also mandated the app for Indians who are being evacuated from abroad.
