Flight operations resume from city airport

Flight operations resume from city airport

First Day Saw Some Delays, Cancellations

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:26.05.2020

Queue up with social distancing, get your bag sanitized, get yourself screened, collect your kits, put on your masks and face shields, and show your ID and boarding pass and enter the airport terminal building.

Drop your baggage and move, following toe marks, maintaining due social distancing as you pass through security checkpoints, leave an empty chair as you wait for your flight in the security hold area.

With such a new normal, commercial flight operations finally resumed after a gap of 60 days at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Flight operations were suspended across India in the end of March to curb the spread of coronavirus outbreak.

The airport finally witnessed passenger movement at the airport after remaining almost shut except for operating charters, air ambulances, cargo and special flights for expats during the lockdown. An estimated eighty flights including some 40 incoming and 40 outgoing flights operated from the city airport. This is less than onethird of the total flight movements handled at the SVPI airport conventionally.

Sources confirmed that most passengers included travellers who were either stranded here or had to visit their families at their hometowns. Flight operations resumed to Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, among others.

Speaking about his experience, Aniruddha Panicker, a passenger who landed at the city airport around noon, said, “The flight from Delhi refused to depart as there were only five passengers aboard. We didn’t have a choice but to book another flight on the spot to get to Ahmedabad.

Thankfully, we boarded the flight in time. However, it was weird as the aircraft had barely eight passengers travelling to Ahmedabad.”

Airline sources confirmed that most flights operated at less than 50% occupancy, and some as low as 10% as well. “People are reluctant to travel and things will normalise in the days to come. On frequent flying sectors such as Mumbai and Delhi, the bookings are reasonably good and we expect the flight occupancies to go up,” said the source.

On the very first day, while there was a slight delay in operations of certain flights, three flight operations were cancelled.

An incoming flight from Mumbai and an outgoing flight to Mumbai got cancelled and a flight to Chennai too got cancelled. Sources said that passengers were informed well in advance about the cancellation of the Chennai flight.

Passenger movement finally seen at the city airport which had been shut during the lockdown except for charters, air ambulances, cargo and special flights for expats

Passengers at the SVPI airport on Monday