Domestic flight bookings can start: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that airlines can take domestic bookings after April 14 if the 21-day lockdown is not extended further. As far as the civil aviation ministry is concerned, it is proceeding on the basis of the understanding that the lockdown is till mid-April, Puri said while addressing a video press conference.
Resumption of international flights will be considered on a case-by-case basis after India’s lockdown ends and will depend on which countries they are coming from, “Any incoming flights to bring Indians back home will have to await the lifting of the lockdown,” Puri told reporters at a press conference.
“Now, what do the airlines do as a part of their contingency planning and to prepare for the future, it is entirely up to the airline. There is no directive from us,” said Puri. “But as someone who is always an eternal optimist, I am hoping that from April 15, the flights can at least start-if not everything then in a calibrated manner,” he added.
“Opening flights for reservation can be done at any time. It is not an issue,” he said. The executive explained that airline may even operate truncated schedule to begin with and there could even be some state-specific restrictions. In this backdrop the airline does not want to create a liability of refunds in case flights are canceled.
Other domestic airlines continue to accept domestic bookings beyond April 15.
Puri also said Indians who are stranded in several foreign countries will have to wait till April 15 to return, adding that flights taking foreign nationals to their countries from India will not bring back any passengers.
India has allowed countries like the US, UK and Germany to conduct special flights during the lockdown to take their citizens back home. Air India has also extended its services to countries such as Germany, UK and France to facilitate the return of their citizens.
