GoAir announces slew of measures as it prepares to resume operations from May 4 after coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown ends

Indian low-cost airline GoAir on Wednesday announced a slew of measures to protect its staff, crew, and passengers in preparation for a phase-wise commencement of flights from May 4, after the 40-day lockdown due to coronavirus COVID-19 is lifted. These measures fully incorporate all of the recommendations from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) along with some additional measures that the airline is proactively taking.

GoAir will adhere to strict social distancing at the airport during check-in and boarding, on aerobridges, buses, including row-wise boarding and deboarding. The check-in counters of the airline will open three hours and close one hour prior to the flight departure. This measure will be taken to allow more time for sanitized processing of customers and baggage.

Commenting on the measures being taken, GoAir CEO Vinay Dube said, “GoAir is in full preparation mode for a gradual commencement of flights from May 4, 2020. Nothing is more important to us at GoAir than the safety and well-being of our staff, crew and passengers. We are going above and beyond the government recommendations in an effort to ensure maximum health and safety measures are undertaken as we gradually emerge from this unimaginable and unprecedented global crisis."

Ground time for aircraft between flights will be increased to allow cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces that come into contact with crew or passengers in the cabin, galley, and lavatories. Hand sanitizers at all key touchpoints on the ground and in the aircraft will be made available.

Social distancing on the aircraft will be enforced and all middle seats will be left empty so that no passenger will have an immediate neighbour.

A reduction of inflight services will also be maintained to minimize non-essential interaction between passengers and crew and only water will be provided, there will be no meals or snack service. It will also impose a suspension of all onboard sales.

Clearance of seat pockets of all items will take place after each flight with the exception of the safety card, which will be replaced or sanitized. The crew will wear face masks and gloves at all times when interacting with passengers and when in the aisles.

Announcements will be made to minimise the use of lavatories and to avoid any non-essential movement in the aisles. Deep cleaning of aircraft, disinfection, and fogging will be undertaken each night for the entire fleet.

In addition, staff will wipe down all kiosks and airport counters frequently with disinfectant, and airport ticket offices and back offices will be fully disinfected and sanitized each night. Passengers will be encouraged to print their boarding passes at home to minimize interactions at the airport.