<p>After a limited start to railway services, the focus has now turned to the aviation sector with airports and airlines gearing up for a resumption of flights after the lockdown to combat <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">COVID-19</a> is scheduled to end on May 17.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-india-live-updates-total-cases-deaths-covid-19-tracker-worldometer-update-lockdown-30-latest-news-835374.html" target="_blank">For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</a></strong></p>.<p>The Civil Aviation Ministry has been in talks with the airline companies which are staring at huge financial losses because of the shutdown of commercial passenger flights in the last week of March.</p>.<p>Officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety, Airports Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force and Delhi International Airport Limited visited the Delhi airport on Monday to review the preparedness before the resumption of flights.</p>.<p>Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had initially suggested the resumption of flights between green zones but it failed to enthuse the airlines. They contended that it may not be commercially viable due to lack of adequate demand.</p>.<p>Puri has been maintaining that no decision has been taken as yet on the resumption of commercial passenger flights which continue to be suspended till the midnight of May 17.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, prominent airports across the country have been preparing for the resumption of flights by putting in additional measures to ensure physical distancing among travellers and utilising technology for disinfection of luggage and trolleys to ensure a safe transit.</p>.<p>The Delhi Airport has announced that initially all arrivals and departures would be handled only through Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and terminals 2 and 1D would remain shut for some time.</p>.<p>Some of India’s busiest airports, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, have rolled out plans to ensure social distancing at the airport by deploying additional queue managers at kerbside, check-in halls, security check areas and boarding gates, with social distancing markers.</p>.<p>The Civil Aviation Minister had said the government would review the situation around May 15 before announcing its decision on resumption of flights.</p>.<p>On Sunday, Puri posted a photograph of air travelers seated in an aircraft wearing face shields and masks.</p>.<p>“The times they are a changing! Not a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster but a picture of passengers with face shields onboard the Singapore-Mumbai flight which landed earlier today. Preventive measures are the new normal. Changes are here to stay," Puri tweeted, recalling Bob Dylan's chartbuster ‘The Times They Are a-Changin'”.</p>
<p>After a limited start to railway services, the focus has now turned to the aviation sector with airports and airlines gearing up for a resumption of flights after the lockdown to combat <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">COVID-19</a> is scheduled to end on May 17.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-india-live-updates-total-cases-deaths-covid-19-tracker-worldometer-update-lockdown-30-latest-news-835374.html" target="_blank">For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here</a></strong></p>.<p>The Civil Aviation Ministry has been in talks with the airline companies which are staring at huge financial losses because of the shutdown of commercial passenger flights in the last week of March.</p>.<p>Officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety, Airports Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force and Delhi International Airport Limited visited the Delhi airport on Monday to review the preparedness before the resumption of flights.</p>.<p>Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had initially suggested the resumption of flights between green zones but it failed to enthuse the airlines. They contended that it may not be commercially viable due to lack of adequate demand.</p>.<p>Puri has been maintaining that no decision has been taken as yet on the resumption of commercial passenger flights which continue to be suspended till the midnight of May 17.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, prominent airports across the country have been preparing for the resumption of flights by putting in additional measures to ensure physical distancing among travellers and utilising technology for disinfection of luggage and trolleys to ensure a safe transit.</p>.<p>The Delhi Airport has announced that initially all arrivals and departures would be handled only through Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport and terminals 2 and 1D would remain shut for some time.</p>.<p>Some of India’s busiest airports, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, have rolled out plans to ensure social distancing at the airport by deploying additional queue managers at kerbside, check-in halls, security check areas and boarding gates, with social distancing markers.</p>.<p>The Civil Aviation Minister had said the government would review the situation around May 15 before announcing its decision on resumption of flights.</p>.<p>On Sunday, Puri posted a photograph of air travelers seated in an aircraft wearing face shields and masks.</p>.<p>“The times they are a changing! Not a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster but a picture of passengers with face shields onboard the Singapore-Mumbai flight which landed earlier today. Preventive measures are the new normal. Changes are here to stay," Puri tweeted, recalling Bob Dylan's chartbuster ‘The Times They Are a-Changin'”.</p>
