GoAir says awaiting ‘clarity’ on readiness of states, airports for flight operations

PTI, May 24, 2020, 8:11 AM IST

Mumbai: Budget carrier GoAir, which plans to resume its flight services from June 1, said on Saturday it is awaiting “clarity” on the readiness of the respective states and their airports for “acceptance” of flights.

The airline, in a statement, also said that it is however ready and prepared to resume safe operations after the two-month lockdown.

“GoAir awaits clarity on the readiness of the respective states and their airports with regard to acceptance of flights, or the conditions applicable to passengers entering the respective states,” the airline said in a statement.

Without clarity on these conditions, GoAir said it does not wish to inconvenience its passengers by putting on sale flights immediately post the May 25 which they may book, that will not be permitted to operate to the respective states or may have conditions for arriving passengers of which they may be unaware.

On receiving clarity, GoAir will open its site for bookings post the May 25 up to May 31, as and when and where appropriate, it said.

Domestic commercial passenger flights in India are set to resume from May 25 after the government lifted the suspension imposed over their operations on March 25 when it put in place a nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus pandemic.

Since the government’s announcement of allowing these services in a phased manner last Thursday, all domestic carriers have commenced bookings for their flights on domestic routes from May 25.

GoAir has already been on sale for its entire network of flights commencing June 1 and appreciates the initial customer response which has been very positive, the airline said in the release.

“GoAir has filed and received approval for its modified schedule which is based on one-third of its pre-COVID approved summer 2020 network. This is in line with the calibrated ramp-up capacity allocation policy outlined by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” it added.

The airline also said it is fully prepared and equipped to execute the COVID-specific health and safety procedures outlined by the DGCA for the Indian aviation industry.