Mumbai airport postpones mock drill to September

The city airport has cancelled its annual mock drill, ‘Search and rescue’, that was scheduled to be held on March 27.

The city airport has cancelled its annual mock drill, ‘Search and rescue’, that was scheduled to be held on March 27.

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The proposed drill, which is designed to test the airport’s preparedness in case of an emergency pertaining to an aircraft, was to be followed by an international seminar, which will now take place only after September.

“As fears of coronavirus emerged in December itself, no invites were sent to international experts. However, after the virus spread to India, AAI decided to postpone the event,” a Delhi-based AAI official said.

Meanwhile, the outbreak has also hit the operations of certain flights. Air India (AI) 135 /136 (Delhi-Madrid-Delhi) flight scheduled on Tuesdays will instead operate on Thursdays and Saturdays till April 30, while AI’s Delhi-Paris flight will operate on days on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays till April 30. The Mumbai-Frankfurt-flight will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays till April 30, while AI’s Delhi -Tel Aviv flight will operate only on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a circular asking airlines to waive off cancellation/ re-scheduling charges.

“In the view of the unfolding severe impact of COVID - 19, the aviation industry is facing serious challenges. Flights are being curtailed, cancelled and disrupted almost on a daily basis. Resultantly, passengers are also facing the brunt. In the current scenario, it would be appropriate if airlines support their passengers in this tough time by waiving off cancellation/ reschedule charges or by providing any other incentive,” the circular stated.