Business: Air India to operate flights to various cities from 19th May, Special domestic flights to begin.

Air India to operate special domestic flights from various cities from 19th May to 2nd June. This decision comes to help the stranded passengers in different cities to reach home. Bookings are yet to begin; full fare will be levied to the passengers for booking seats. The majority of operation of flights will be from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Chennai gets only one flight which will operate from Kochi to Chennai on May 19. 

 

National Capital Region of Delhi will have 173 flights, operating to Jaipur, Hyderabad, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Lucknow and a few other cities. Air India will operate 40 flights from Mumbai and 25 from Hyderabad. 

 

A senior AI official confirmed the schedule of operations and said, "We are waiting for the nod from the ministry of civil aviation. The schedule has been prepared as part of phase-2 evacuation flights to bring Indians from abroad. The government had said that domestic flights too can be included in the second schedule." To ensure that passengers coming from abroad reach their home states, Air India has designed the schedule of some of the flights accordingly. The official however said, "But that will also depend on quarantine rules." He also revealed that the operation of flights was scheduled to start on 15th May but was postponed to 17. 

 

The official stated, "Now it has been decided to start on May 19. The commencement will depend on the ministry's approval. But this will be a forerunner to start domestic operations in a phased manner."

 

Passengers will have to book their tickets on Air India's site and full fare will be levied on them. A senior official of Airlines Authority of India (AAI) hinted that private flights may also be allowed to operate.