On third day, 41 flights operated at Shamshabad

There was slight improvement in the flight movement at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad on Wednesday with about 21 departures and 20 arrivals on the third day of the commencement of domestic operations across the country.

The cancellations too continue to be high at about 80 due to the government reducing the schedules and also because of poor patronage. Air India (AI) itself is showing cancellations till the month-end of close to 97 flights and it has already clarified that the tickets purchased during this time will be valid till August 24 at no extra cost.

In case of any change in the sector, the rerouting charges will be waived but the difference in fare will be made applicable. However, this is applicable to cancelled flights only “due to unavailability of slots at the major airports”, said an official spokesperson of AI, when contacted. There was no response to such queries from private airlines.

On Wednesday, the airport handled about 3,500 passengers from various flights coming in and going out and the entire process was smooth. All arriving and departing passengers are being scanned by thermal scanners as per the safety procedures with adequate social distancing enforced for everyone, informed an official spokesman.

Automatic hand sanitiser dispensers at various places, floor markers, staggered seating arrangements, allocation of entry gates and check-in islands for departure passengers to encourage compliance of social distancing norms and minimise human contact at the airport have become the new normal inside the terminals.

Passengers are being encouraged to check in at home or use self-service facilities such as contact-less self-check-in facility, self-bag tag facility, scan and fly etc., he added.