80 flights cancelled at Delhi airport; airlines follow Covid-19 guidelines

The flight schedule had been made for all airports, including those in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which have decided to defer or restrict flights for now

Arrival and departure of as many as 80 flights were cancelled at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport on Monday, the first day of phased resumption of domestic flights after a two-month suspension, officials said.

Earlier, the flight schedule had been done for all airports, including those in West Bengal (where flight operations will now start from May 28), Maharashtra (which has allowed only 25 takeoffs and 25 landings in a day) and Chennai (where incoming passenger flights are restricted to 25).

Domestic flight operations had been suspended soon after the imposition of the first nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus in March 2020.

With the resumption of domestic flights, Vistara Airlines on Monday started its operation with the first flight to Bhubaneswar from the national capital. The Vistara Air UK-785 departed for Bhubaneswar with 95 passengers at 6:50 am on Monday. All passengers were screened before boarding the flight at Delhi's IGI airport.

"We're strictly following the government's guidelines to ensure safety against Covid-19. Today has been a different experience as we're not used to wearing protective gear over our uniforms. All passengers followed the guidelines," a flight attendant on Vistara's Delhi-Bhubaneswar flight said. Passengers deboarding were seen wearing face shields as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.

The Central government has announced the resumption of domestic flight operations from today in a phased manner.