One-third domestic flights to resume from Monday; Govt caps min and max fares till Aug 24, indicates may not go for quarantine of passengers on short-haul routes

After a two-month hiatus, one-third of the scheduled domestic flights would be flying from Monday after the airlines adhere to the government-prescribed limits on airfares categorised in seven bands based on flight duration, even as the Civil Aviation Minister indicated that the ministry was not in favour of quarantining passengers on short-haul flights.

Unveiling a set of detailed pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight guidelines on Thursday, the civil aviation ministry advised people vulnerable like the elderly, pregnant women and passengers battling health issues to avoid air travel till the coronavirus pandemic abates.

All passengers will have to provide their medical details through the Aarogya Setu app or by filling up a self-declaration form, while those residingin containment zones will not be allowed to travel, the ministry added.

Noting that all stakeholders such as airlines, airports have cooperated, Puri said,"operations will start on 1/3 of the approved Summer schedule for domestic routes in a calibrated manner from 25 May 2020 and will be scaled up gradually. After domestic travel has been eased, we will address the issue of international travel depending on the evolving situation."
Claiming that a lot of "fuss" was being made over quarantine of passengers on domestic flights, Puri "I don't know why we are making such a fuss on the quarantine issue. This is domestic travel. Same laws will apply here that applies when you travel by train or a bus... People who are positive will not be allowed to board the flights."
While aviation consultancy, CAPA's CEO and Director for South Asia Kapil Kaul welcomed the partial and calibrated resumption of flight services, he said the limit on fares is a "bad and unfortunate decision"
IATA Assistant Director (Corporate Communications - Asia Pacific) Albert Tjoeng also said,"Airlines need to have the freedom to make their commercial decisions, including the pricing of airfares. Hence, we recognise and hope that this is a one-time measure as a result of COVID-19 and will be discontinued on August 24. India's Air Corporation Act was repealed in 1994, so the announcement to regulate airfares more than 2 decades later comes across as certainly a step back."