Bhubaneswar airport to ensure social distancing must once flight services resume
BHUBANESWAR: Maintaining social distance will be on top priority once the Centre allows airports to resume scheduled domestic and international flight operations. Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) said this on Thursday after a meeting to discuss implementation of various measures as directed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
According to the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines issued by AAI, all personnel working in terminal building and passengers are required to maintain social distancing, keep hand sanitising or hand wash facilities inside the terminals, near check-in counters and others for the staff and the passengers.
“We held discussions to implement the guidelines issued by AAI, especially maintaining social distancing after the scheduled flight operations resume,” said BPIA Director VV Rao.
AAI has reportedly instructed to mark spaces for social distancing (1 to 1.5 metre) at various spots in the airports, including arrival and departure gates, lounges.
Airports have also been asked to keep movable wash basins having water tanks or alcohol-based hand sanitisers at all the entry points of air side gates, cargo complex and wherever necessary. Movable wash basins will be kept near the terminal, air side entry, near cargo complex gate, said Rao. According to AAI’s SOP, initially only one terminal shall be used after the flight services resume.
BPIA officials said as only domestic flight operations are expected to resume, they will open Terminal-I for passengers.
“We also have an isolation ward ready for any Covid-19 suspects,” they added. Initially, airline operations are likely to be limited to Tier-I cities - metros and some of the state capitals and Tier-II cities.
The flights schedule may be cleared on City pair basis, so the origin and destination airports are open fully from lockdown situation.