After 2 months, domestic flights resume at Chennai airport

Chennai, May 25 (IANS) After a gap of two months, domestic air services began at the Chennai airport on Monday as an Indigo airlines flight with 116 passengers left for Delhi.

The domestic flights were suspended as part of the Covid-19 lockdown measures.

While 120 passengers were scheduled to travel in the Delhi-bound plane, authorities did not allow four passengers to board as they showed symptoms of cough and cold.

Later, a SpiceJet plane took off for Delhi. Air India is also scheduled to operate its flight from here.

According to officials, several incoming and outgoing flights are set to be operated on Monday. The departures are to cities like Delhi, Kochi, Madurai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

A passenger has to show his ticket to a camera connected to a big TV screen, which is then viewed by security personnel concerned who clear the passenger.

The passengers have to wear a mask and maintain social distancing at the airport.

On Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government had came out with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for domestic air travellers. As per the SOP, asymptomatic persons shall undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

All passengers will be stamped with ‘quarantine’ word along with the date in indeliable ink before they are allowed to move out of the airport.

Passengers who do not have a home in Tamil Nadu and choose for paid quarantine (hotels) will be sent to the designated hotels.

In case a passenger develops coronavirus-like symptoms, he/she shall inform the district call centre at 1077 or report to the nearest government hospital, on intimation to the district nodal officer.

Pre-paid taxi service authorised by the Airports Authority of India will be lined up and details of vehicle numbers, drivers names and phone numbers shall be entered and linked to the passenger details of TN e-Pass System before allowing a passenger out. All passengers should wear masks, use hand sanitisers, and maintain social distance.

The taxis should be disinfected before and after use.

The Tamil Nadu government was initially reluctant to allow domestic inbound flights at the airports in the state.

The SOP lays down some stringent norms mainly for inbound airline passengers.

As per the SOP, after obtaining the flight tickets, the travellers shall register their details in TN e-pass portal following the link: https://tnepass.tnega.org, duly selecting the airport of arrival.

While registering on the portal, travellers have to give declarations about their good health, that they do not live in containment zone and others.

The other SOPs include thermal screening of passengers at airports, passengers to be sent to the health desk in a group of not more than 20, and luggage to be disinfected by airport authorities.

Officials directly dealing with passengers will have to wear personal protective equipment and masks.

Symptomatic passengers should be segregated to be sent to isolation facilities in designated ambulances.

Meanwhile, travellers going out of Tamil Nadu will undergo thermal screening as stipulated by the airport authority and only persons without symptoms will be allowed to board the flights.

Boarding passes will be used as documents for movement of passengers from their homes/places of stay to the airports.

–IANS

vj/tsb