International flights to resume operations from mid-June says Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Saturday that the international flight would start operating by middle of June if there is a positive change in the COVID-19 situation by then.

“As an optimist, I would say why wait till August or September; if situation eases or improves, if the virus behaves in a predictable manner, we get used to the idea to co-exist with the virus and make arrangements…let say we have an ambitious goal, why not start middle of June, end- June or July? I know you will say MHA lockdown is till May 31…nothing is written in stone…we are starting the domestic flights from May 25, we are prepared,” said Hardeep Singh Puri.

In a live chat with Mr. Puri on facebook, he stated that the pricing of tickets is a commercial matter which is in between the airline and customer so the government’s role is limited to issuing advisories.

Domestic flights will start operating from May 25 and a meeting was initiated with State governments to decide the process while being in quarantine Suggestions have come up by many states about a 14-day institutional quarantine on the arrival to the new destination.

He also said that the Arogya Setu app is reliable once the people begin using it wisely and understand how it functions.“If you have an Aarogya Setu app and you are clear, do you want another test? India is conducting around 1 lakh per day…if you do not have any symptoms or did not come in contact with a COVID-19 positive person then what is the use of test? The test result will come in 7 hours…you take the test and wait for the result and then wait for another two hours before the boarding?” asked Mr. Puri. He said the Aarogya Setu app was preferable but airlines have not made it mandatory.