The government authorities have issued show-cause notices to two prominent airlines Air India and Vistara, for not complying with international passenger boarding guidelines issued by the Central Government for international passengers. In the wake of the emerging Omicron threat, flouting of norms in this regard is a serious concern.
According to the authorities, four international passengers – one Air India passenger and three Vistara passengers – were allowed to board the flights without filling their self-declaration form.
The Deputy General Manager of Air India and the Airport Manager of Vistara have to respond to the show-cause notices within 24 hours. They have to provide a response to Vasant Vihar sub-divisional magistrate under New Delhi.
“On unsatisfactory responses, action as deemed fit shall be initiated as per relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005; Section 188 of IPC and other applicable laws,” read the notice.
Covid-19 Guidelines for International Passengers
According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on November 30, it is mandatory for international passengers to fill in their details on the Air Suvidha portal. The international passengers arriving in India have to declare their current health status prior to boarding on the Air Suvidha Portal and upload a copy of their passport, PCR Negative Certificate from a test conducted within 72 hours of departure, and the Vaccination Certificate. For immigration, the copy received in e-mail is essential on arrival in India and has to be verified at the APHO counter.
The Air Suvidha portal was launched in August 2020, and since then, more than one crore passengers have benefitted from it. The portal helps state officials in contact tracing, on-arrival segregation, and processing and allows passengers have a queue-free travel experience.
On arrival in India, international passengers have to undergo a post-arrival COVID-19 test at the arriving Airport (self-paid), sit for home quarantine for seven days and take a re-test on the 8th day. If still found to be negative, they have to carry out self-health monitoring for the next seven days.
