New Delhi: Airlines should stick to ticket price guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry when they restart some domestic flights. This was stated Thursday by the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Domestic passenger services are all set to resume Monday after a gap of two months. Flights were suspended due to the lockdown imposed in India to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh had announced the resumption of flights Wednesday night.
Maximum and minimum price for tickets
Airlines will have to follow ticket price guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation ministry. For example, the maximum price for a Delhi-Mumbai flight will not exceed Rs 10,000 while the minimum fare will be Rs 3,500. Approximately the same rate is applicable for a Delhi-Kolkata ticket. The price guidelines will be strictly implemented for three months, Puri said.
“Flight durations have been divided in 7 categories. The segments are 0-30 minutes, 30-60 minutes, 60-90 minutes, 90-120 minutes, 120-150 minutes, 150-180 minutes, and 180-210 minutes. Ticket prices will be according to the duration of the flights. However, the government will fix a price cap on all the routes,” Puri informed.
Announcement on fares soon
Airlines should adhere to the lower and upper limits of fares set by the ministry, the ministry said. It added that details are being worked out for flights in different sectors and an announcement will be made soon.
Airlines will be allowed to resume about a third of their operations from Monday. However, rules have been put in place for the flights to operate. There will be no meals on board, temperature checks for all passengers and full protective gear for crew, the ministry said.
Here are the rules that you need to know before flying
Report two hours in advance
Aarogya Setu App mandatory for all passengers
No check-in counters, only web check-in
Safety kits including masks, face shield and sanitisers to be issued to passengers
Minimum use of toilets during flights
No in-flight meals
One check-in and cabin bag for each passenger
It should be stated here that the coronavirus cases are largely concentrated in the big cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Maximum number of flights operates out of these daily cities.
Airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet Ltd, Vistara and Air India were forced to ground planes from March 25 due to lockdown. However, Air India operated some special flights to evacuate Indians stranded abroad.
Other rules to be followed
The Civil Aviation Ministry also said passengers who are not allowed to travel due to their health or age will not be penalised. They will be allowed to change their date of travel without a penalty.
All passengers must register on a government coronavirus tracing application and submit a declaration form saying they are fit to travel. They also have to declare that they do not live in ‘Containment’ or ‘Red Zones’.
Agencies