Air India Opens Online Booking for Tickets Ahead of Flight Resumption from May 25

Following the announcement of resuming flight services made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, national flight carrier Air India has started accepting ticket bookings. The announcement said that from May 25, 2020, flight services can resume on domestic routes in a limited capacity, one-third of the pre-lockdown capacity to be precise. Along with the announcement, the Government had come out with an extensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for airports and passengers giving a look into what the future of air travel looks like.

Air India’s official twitter account gave more details about the online ticket booking service saying, “Our Domestic Flight Bookings will start from 1230 hrs today (May 22, 2020).”

The Civil Aviation Ministry also directed all air carriers to adhere to the lower and upper limits of fares prescribed by it during the period of COVID-19 pandemic.

The advisory comes as a part of circular with detailed general guidelines by the Ministry for passengers, as well as carriers. MoCA's decision to resume flight operations comes a few days after our sources managed to access the information that Government of India is in discussion with airlines to start scheduled commercial flight services to post the third phase of lockdown gets over. However, due to differences with various state governments, the resumption got delayed.

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The guidelines strictly mention that on the day of commencement, operations will be limited to about one-third of actual capacity, following which further augmentation of flights will be done in a calibrated manner.

Vulnerable passengers including very elderly, pregnant ladies, and passengers with health issues have been advised to avoid air travel. Airports must refrain from operating physical check-in counters and passengers will only be allowed inside the airport if they reach at least two hours prior with confirmed web check-in.

Passengers must fill out a self-declaration form or update their status in the Aarogya Setu App. Passengers with "Red" status in Aarogya Setu App would not be permitted to travel. In addition to this, all passengers are required to wear protective gear including gloves and face mask.

As for the carriers, the Ministry has directed against serving meals on board. The cabin crew must be in a full protective suit and only one check-in bag must be allowed. Usage of trolley baggage are not advised and passengers will not be given newspapers or magazines.

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