Air Travel – Proceed With Caution

While there is an urgent need for restoring normalcy in air travel, given the serious hazards associated with COVID-19, the MoCA has no option but to move forward with extreme caution

- Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)

IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, THE OUTBREAK IN INDIA AS

also across the globe, Coronavirus or COVID-19 Pandemic has had a devastating impact on the Indian economy. On account of the nonavailability of preventive and curative medicines for this disease as it was a virus new to the world, the spread of the epidemic throughout India and across the world, has been uncontrolled and rapid. This left no option for the Indian Government other than to impose a total lockdown that was implemented with effect from March 23, 2020, bringing economic activity to a grinding halt. One of the segments of the Indian industry that contributes significantly to the national economy is the Indian civil aviation industry in which the Indian airline industry has a major role to play. Unfortunately, this segment of the industry has been so badly affected by the lockdown that the sustainability and in fact the very survival of Indian carriers has been severely jeopardized.