[ad_1]
File photo of the Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri (image: PTI)
Citing the low margin for airlines, Minister Puri said that if the middle-row seats are forced to remain empty, many airlines may choose not to operate flights.
- News18.com
- Last update: May 8, 2020, 9:45 a.m. IST
In a recent interview given to CNBC-TV18, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, said that keeping the seat half empty on flights to maintain social distancing is not an option and airlines will have to find a different solution to stop the spread of COVID -19.
Citing the low margin for airlines, Minister Puri said that if the middle-row seats are forced to remain empty, many airlines may choose not to operate flights due to paperthin’s margin in the industry. He said flying an empty 1/3 plane is not an option.
Keeping the center seat vacant has not been an option for any airline in the world. Airlines already operate on very thin margins, and if you keep a third of the aircraft empty, many of them will choose not to fly. This could backfire. We would have to take other precautions. pic.twitter.com/YP6g7cYV04
– Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 7, 2020
In a recent interview given to him, he also confirmed that domestic flight services will only resume when the arrival and departure cities are in the Green Zone. He said it will be difficult to start flight services as the zones continue to change depending on the covid-19 cases.
The government is already in talks with airlines to begin scheduled commercial flight services after closing on May 17. Minister Puri said that each time flight services are resumed, they will be resumed gradually with national airlines operating in the initial phase, followed by international ones. flights.
.
[ad_2]
