Bengaluru: Air services commenced from the Kempegowda International Airport of the city, on Monday, May 25, at 7.15 am.
According to the authorities, 108 departures and 107 arrivals are scheduled on day 1.
“It is expected to go up once the lockdown norms are eased,” added authorities. It can be recalled that after the lockdown, this airport was used only to bring Indians stuck in foreign countries. Domestic air service was cancelled in total.
Mysuru-Bengaluru air service will also start today evening. The airport will also have a ‘Parking-to-Boarding contactless’ journey in place at the airport in order to minimise contact between passengers and airport staff.
“The technology will continue to enable a seamless airport journey, with greater emphasis on health and safety,” Bangalore International Airport Limited said in a press release.
“We have introduced innovative contactless procedures to minimise exposure at the airport. These enhancements demonstrate our continued commitment to keep our passengers safe in this environment. We believe our new measures will boost confidence among passengers,” said Hari Marar, MD and CEO, BIAL.
According to BIAL, as part of the new procedures, a passenger must wear a face mask and carry an e-/ printed-boarding pass. At the departure gates, the passenger will undergo thermal scan and the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phone must show the ‘you are safe’ message.
According to the BIAL press release, once a passenger is inside the terminal, they will scan the boarding pass at a contactless self-service kiosk, collect the baggage tag before proceeding to the airline counter to drop-off luggage. Passengers also have the option of using the assisted baggage drop counter to print and tag their baggage. Initially, a maximum of one hand baggage and one check-in baggage will be allowed, as mandated by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The automated self bag-drop facility will be available as applicable to the airlines. The passenger will be assisted by Airport staff to avoid touching the machines themselves.
At the pre-embarkation security check, the passenger will scan the boarding pass at a kiosk and put all belongings in the tray before going through the body scanner. Trays will be sanitised after every use.
Body scanning will be done using door frame Metal Detectors (DFMD) and stamping of the boarding pass has been suspended.
The passenger will scan the boarding pass on the sensor. Airline staff will do temperature screening and then permit boarding.
Passengers will have to go for contactless dining and retail in the airport premises, with almost total elimination of human contact at outlets.
At parking zones, the ticket dispensing machine will print a ticket after recording the time and date of entry, thereby reducing human processing. At exit, the ticket will be scanned against a machine and the payment can be made digitally. Cash and card payment options, too, will be available, and be carried out with due precautions.
On arrival, the passengers must follow the safe distance markers at the baggage collection area and the transit passengers will not be allowed out of the transit area.
At the taxi boarding area, fumigation will be done at regular intervals. Passengers without masks will not be allowed to board a taxi.
“As per a Government of Karnataka advisory, each taxi will accommodate only the driver + 2 passengers. BMTC buses will operate at 50 percent capacity,” BIAL said in the press release.
“All touchpoints will be sanitised regularly at a predetermined schedule. Repeated announcements will be made to maintain social distance and wear masks. Information related to social distancing and personal hygiene will be displayed on the Flight Information Display System (FIDS). Seating across Terminal, including at F&B outlets, has been rearranged and marked in a manner that promotes maintaining a safe distance,” BIAL said.
“The terminal will be well ventilated with minimum reliance on air-conditioning to avoid the spread of disease,” the press statement added.
“As defined by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the new schedule is 32% of the schedule which was expected to come into effect from March 29, 2020. The revised schedule will be in effect until June 30, 2020,” BIAL said in a statement.
