Air India decided not to book tickets until 30 April. Whereas, a day earlier, Ministry of Civil Aviation had said that all airline companies are free to book tickets since April 14.
New Delhi| The 21-day lockdown, implemented to prevent coronavirus infection, ends on April 14. The government has also rejected rumours of extending the lockdown period, but Air India issued a statement on Friday raising the suspense on the lockdown extension.
The government airline company decided not to book tickets until 30 April. Whereas, a day earlier, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Pradeep Singh Kharola had said that all airline companies are free to book tickets for any date since April 14, ie, 21 days after the lockdown.
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Even after this, Air India decided not to book tickets. Air India said, “What is the government’s decision on April 14, we are waiting for it.”
Here, Vistara Airlines has started booking for April 15 and onwards. The company gave this information in a statement issued on Friday. However, the airline company made it clear that if the ministry issues a new notification during this period, the company will work accordingly.
DGCA extended the ban on international flights till 14 April
Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had banned international flights from 23 to 29 March due to coronavirus. On Thursday, it was increased to 14 April. The DGCA said in its decision that a circular was issued on March 19 to suspend international flights operations. Now the ban period is being done till 12 pm on 14 April. This restriction will not apply to cargo flights. In addition, domestic flights will also be closed. On average, 13 million passengers a month and 14 crore passengers travel on domestic flights annually.
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