Air Passengers

"Three-hour-long queues for immigration and security check. People are fainting, fighting. Most of the counters are not operational. Is this the new normal," said an air passenger

Airlines will reimburse 75 per cent of the ticket costs to passengers whose domestic flight tickets have been downgraded, with aviation regulator DGCA putting in place new norms. For downgrade of international tickets, the reimbursement amount will vary from 30 per cent to 75 per cent of the ticket costs, including taxes, depending on the distance covered by the particular flight. The new norms will be effective from February 15, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday. The regulator decided to amend the norms against the backdrop of complaints from air travellers about their tickets booked for a particular class being downgraded by airlines. In December last year, DGCA had proposed that airlines should have to refund the full value of such tickets, including taxes, and also that affected passenger will be flown free of cost in the next available class. However, those proposals have been modified now in line with international practi

Here's what happens behind the scenes from the time of check-in to take-off

The DGCA on Monday said that Air India didn't report the incident until the regulator sought the incident report from them on January 5

All flight operations are currently normal and the passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information, the authorities added

The monthly domestic air passenger traffic touched 1.29 crore to cross the pre-COVID level in December 2022, with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia terming it as a healthy trend and a good sign for the industry. In December 2019, the domestic air passenger traffic stood at 1.26 crore. "2022 sets new record in air passenger movement," according to a graphic shared by the minister on his Twitter handle on Tuesday. The traffic reached 1.29 crore in December last year. There is a healthy trend in domestic passenger movement of late - a good sign for the aviation sector, the minister said in a tweet. "Monthly domestic passenger numbers in December 2022 crossed the pre-Covid-29 high!" Scindia said.

Travellers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand and Japan have to produce such test 72 hours before departure

The existing practice of post arrival random testing of 2 per cent travellers (irrespective of port of departure) shall continue

After the Centre re-started random testing of incoming passengers amid the rising scare of Covid in several countries, a total of 39 international travellers have been found positive across airports

Regulator's rules do not say what compensation an airline needs to give to a passenger affected by ticket downgrade

Two stories this week showed what's wrong with the attitudes of airlines and passengers

Government sources said that there is no order issued by the central government to curb incoming flights from China where a wave of Covid cases has been reported

The Karnataka government will start screening international passengers at Bengaluru airport in view of a sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world, Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Wednesday He, however, did not specify from which date the screening process will begin at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here. We will have to take certain precautionary measures in the wake of global situation. KIA has a high inflow of international passengers. We will start screening passengers there, Sudhakar said. The Minister emphasised the need for people to take precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world, especially in China. He said new COVID-19 guidelines would be issued. The state government has taken measures to send positive samples for genome sequencing to keep track of emerging variants, as per Union Health Ministry's guidelines. Some countries including China and Japan are witnessing a sudden spurt in cases

Delay causes some to miss connecting flights; DIAL sources said zero cancellations or diversions from airport on Tuesday

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is conducting a study to assess whether there is enough holding space for passengers at the immigration area of the Delhi airport, according to a senior government official. The ongoing study by the agency, which is responsible for civil aviation security, is aimed to ensure that there is no congestion at the immigration area once international air travel gains full steam after being severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, domestic and international passengers have been complaining about congestion at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here that led to long queues and waiting hours. The situation has improved now, with the authorities putting in place various measures, including installing additional X-ray machines for baggage checks. The government official told PTI that the BCAS is conducting the study to understand the immigration area at the airport and whether there is enough holding area for passenger

A surge in air travel has strained the infrastructure at the country's busiest airport and forced the civil aviation ministry to order a reduction and shifting of peak-hour flights

Single named passengers will not be allowed entry into the UAE with immediate effect under the new guidelines

Vehicle registrations and power generation is higher than before

Indian Railways registers higher growth in quantity of goods carried

Cleatrip, which was acquired by Flipkart in a distress sale last year now becoming one of the fastest-growing online travel platforms