Coronavirus scare: GoAir suspends flights to few Northeastern States

Aizawl/Agartala: Budget carrier GoAir has suspended its operations for 28 days in some northeastern states in view of coronavirus scare and ensuing travel restrictions, officials said on Wednesday.

The airline has suspended operation for 28 days effective Thursday (March 19) on the Aizawl-Kolkata-Guwahati-Imphal route as a preventive measure, Mizoram government’s principal consultant for civil aviation, Wing Commander J. Lalhmingliana, told the media in Aizawl.

“The proposed flight between Delhi and Aizawl, which was announced to be introduced by the GoAir authority from March 29, has been put off and would be rescheduled once the situation is normal,” the official said in Aizawl.

He said that the state government has not yet received any communication from the authorities of Air India and IndiGo, which also operate flights from Aizawl, about a possible suspension of operations.

GoAir, which operates flights to Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bangkok, Phuket, and Male, has suspended all its international operations from Tuesday till April 15.

Mizoram Health Department officials said in Aizawl that 153 people were quarantined at their homes across the northeastern state, of which eight have since been discharged on completion of the 14-day observation period.

Meanwhile, Airport Authority of India Regional Executive Director (NER) Sanjeev Jindal said in Guwahati on Wednesday that screening of passengers –including by infrared thermometers – was undertaken at the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and at 12 other airports in the northeastern states.

The Bordoloi airport in Guwahati is the only one in the northeast to operate flights to Singapore and Bhutan.

He told IANS that following the standard operating procedure (SOP) received from the central government, special screening and testing counters have been functioning at all northeast airports for the past several weeks. (IANS)

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