Mumbai airport to commence domestic ops from May 26 with 50 flights: Operator

Mumbai: The operator of the Mumbai international airport said on Sunday it will resume commercial passenger services on domestic routes from May 25 with 25 departures and arrivals each. Prior to the suspension of passenger flight services on March 25 in the wake of nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the AAI-GVK group-run airport had been operating over 1,000 daily flights (arrivals and departures), including on international routes.

"As many as 50 departures and arrivals are expected on day one and all flights will be operational from Terminal 2," the Mumbai International Airport Ltd ( MIAL) said in a release.

Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had allowed airlines to operate one-third of their total domestic flights from each airport.

The initiative to resume services came after the directive issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation as well as the state government giving a nod to recommence domestic flight operations to and from Mumbai, the MIAL said in the release.

Adhering to the new guidelines specified by the government, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), in the release also urged the passengers above the age of 14 to mandatorily download the Aarogya Setu app for safe travel.

Furthermore, the CSMIA also advised passengers above 80 years as well as expectant mothers and passengers with health issues to restrict travelling, it said. Arriving passengers will be temperature-screened by the state government and are expected to be in home quarantine for 14 days, it added.

The airport operator said it has undertaken various steps and put in place standard operating procedures for the safety of its passengers.

It said it will continue to undertake several precautionary measures, including screening of departing passengers, maintaining 2-metre of social distancing, and wearing of masks.

Additionally, the CSMIA has positioned plexiglass at all counters to keep social distancing along with stationing hand sanitisers at all touch points, the MIAL said.

Moreover, the CSMIA has also created a separate quarantine centre for symptomatic passengers, said the release.