Coronavirus lockdown: Private carrier Indigo airline has said that it will start flight operations from May 4 after the end of the nationwide lockdown, PTI reported. The carrier also added that the operations will resume in a phased manner in view of the risk of COVID-19. Indigo did not clarify whether it intends to resume flights on only domestic routes or overseas routes as well. The decision comes hours after the Ministry of Civil Aviations suspended all the domestic and international flight operations in the country till May 3. The decision by the ministry was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide coronavirus lockdown till May 3.
In a statement issued soon after the ministry suspended the flight operations, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had hinted at resuming operations after the COVID-19 lockdown gets over.
The government can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic and international flights after the lockdown has ended, Puri had said. He had also added that there were good reasons for the lockdown to get extended. Mindful of the problems faced by the people stuck in different parts of the country and world, Puri had said that he was aware of the problems of stranded people and asked them to bear with the decision.
Apart from the people stranded in different parts of the country, lakhs of Indian students and working professionals are stuck in different countries after the entry of international flights into the country was banned. Prime Minister Modi had also requested people to stay put wherever they are to stem the spread of Coronavirus. The decision to extend the lockdown has likewise suspended the operations of the Indian Railways as well. Only goods trains are ferrying the supplies of essential items from one place to another.