New Delhi: Air travel resumed across India this morning, two months after the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bringing relief to the aviation sector that was on the brink of collapse. Hundreds of people reached airports to take early morning flights to their hometowns and workplaces. Those who took first flights included paramilitary personnel, army men, students and migrants, who failed to book a ticket on special trains being run by the railways. The first domestic flight took off from New Delhi for Pune at 4:45 am. The first arrival at the Delhi airport was scheduled for 7:45 am. The flights resumed after the details were finalized on Sunday after what Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said was “a long day of hard negotiations” with various state governments, which were not on board with the idea. With the number of coronavirus cases touching 1.3 lakh, the government announced a series of do’s and don’ts that would begin with social distancing at the airport and no-contact check in. The aviation minister has indicated that international flights could begin in June.
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