New Delhi: Starting May 25, domestic flights within India will be resumed after being cancelled nearly two months ago due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
On May 20, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that domestic flights would resume on May 25 with new guidelines, summarised below. About one-third of the normal schedule of flights will be in operation.
Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday 25th May 2020.
All airports & air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from 25th May.
SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by @MoCA_GoI.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2020
Since the Ministry of Home Affairs’ earlier announcement of lockdown 4.0 mentioned that domestic air travel was prohibited until May 31, some airlines had already released their schedules beginning June 1.
That prohibition has now been lifted, with domestic flights resuming starting Monday, as Puri confirmed.
Most airlines have not released their booking schedules for the newly permitted week of May 25-June 1. Prices depicted are not inclusive of all taxes and fees, and have been sourced from MakeMyTrip. Furthermore, airline tickets have a price floor and ceiling determined by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Flights were filtered to be direct flights with no stops or layovers. Here are the cheapest flights The Wire.
Beginning June 1, the following Indian airlines are beginning their service along several domestic legs: IndiGo, Go Air, AirAsia, Vistara and SpiceJet. Prices for Air India flights were not available at the time of publication.
DEL-BOM-DEL:
From Delhi to Mumbai, during the week of June 1-June 8, the prices range from Rs 2,996, offered by IndiGo, to Rs 8,143, offered by Spicejet. On the return leg, the cheapest available flight costs Rs 3,000 offered by AirAsia, Go Air and IndiGo. The most expensive is SpiceJet’s SG-8704 flight costing Rs 8,189.
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Go Air and AirAsia offer the cheapest flights between Delhi and Bangalore, starting at Rs 3,499. The price is the same on either leg. SpiceJet offers the most expensive flight to and from Bangalore as well, costing Rs 8,646 and Rs. 8,908 respectively.
BOM-CCU-BOM:
Go Air does not offer any flights from Mumbai to Kolkata. IndiGo offers the cheapest flights to Kolkata at Rs. 3,834 while AirAsia offers the cheapest flight to Mumbai at Rs 3,982. A SpiceJet flight costing Rs 9,519 from Kolkata and Rs 11,343 to Kolkata are the costliest flights during the week of June 1-June 8.
Also read: Thermal Screening, Baggage Sanitisation: SOP Issued for Resumption of Domestic Flights
MAA-DEL-MAA:
The cheapest flight available between Chennai and Delhi for the month of June costs Rs 3,246, offered by both IndiGo and AirAsia. The price is the same with either destination. SpiceJet’s flight costing Rs 7,919 is the most expensive one between the two cities.
HYD-BOM-HYD:
The cheapest flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai costs Rs 2,458 and is offered by AirAsia. The price dips to Rs 2,275 from Mumbai to Hyderabad with flights offered by AirAsia, SpiceJet and IndiGo. Prices in the first week of June peak at Rs. 10,585 offered by SpiceJet.
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In June, prices for flight tickets from Delhi to Kochi reach a minimum of Rs 3,301, offered by SpiceJet. Flight tickets from Kochi to Delhi cost a minimum of Rs 3,277, also offered by SpiceJet. Prices peak around Rs. 5,983 offered by Vistara.
Important guidelines to keep an eye out for
- Individuals from containment zones or those who have been tested positive for COVID-19 are prohibited from domestic air travel.
- Web check-in for all travellers is compulsory as physical check-in at airport counters will not be allowed.
- All passengers must arrive at the airport two hours prior departure time.
- Each passenger is allowed a maximum of one check-in luggage. Use of luggage trolleys is minimised.
- Passengers are required to wear protective gear such as face masks as soon as they enter the terminal.
- All passengers above the age of 14 will be required to show their status on the Aarogya Setu app upon entering the terminal.
- Thermal screening of all passengers will be conducted while boarding. Symptomatic passengers will be prohibited from boarding.
- All airlines will provide a protection kit to each passenger including three-layered surgical masks, a face shield and sanitiser.
- No meal services, magazines, newspapers and in-flight shopping will be available in the duration of the flight. Consumption of outside eatables is also prohibited.
- Disembarkation from and boarding into flights will be done in a sequential order in batches. Passengers are expected to follow instructions provided by the airline crew.