. New Delhi, Delhi, India
Wear mask or you'll be deboarded, warn new air travel rules amid COVID-19 surge
DGCA said that some people do not adhere to the COVID-19 travel guidelines. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@ANI)
- Passengers shall wear masks and maintain social distancing norms, say the new rules
- If required, passengers may be dealt with as per law, DGCA said
- The rules make a person an 'unruly passenger' if he/she violates the COVID-19 protocol
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday informed that passengers will be deboarded if they don't wear masks properly or follow COVID-19 protocols while travelling.
Tweeting the circular, the aviation regulator said that some people do not adhere to the COVID-19 travel guidelines, including wearing a mask properly and maintaining social distance in the airport premises.
The move comes days after DGCA allowed airlines to provide concessions in air fares to passengers travelling with no check-in baggage.
Here are the new guidelines by DGCA:
1. Passengers shall wear masks and maintain social distancing norms at all times during air travel. The mask shall not be moved below the nose except under exceptional circumstances.
2. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) or other police personnel deployed at the entrance of airports shall ensure that no one is allowed to enter without a mask.
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3. The Airport Director/Terminal Manager, as applicable, must ensure that passengers are wearing masks properly and do maintain social distance at all times within the airport premises. In case, any passenger is not following the COVID-19 guidelines, they should be handed over to security agencies after proper warnings. If required, they may be dealt with as per law.
4. In case any passenger does not adhere to wearing of mask properly inside the aircraft even after repeated warnings, they should be de-boarded, if need be, before departure.
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In case, any passenger onboard an aircraft refuses to wear a mask or violates the "COVID-19 Protocol for passengers" even after repeated warnings, during the course of the flight, such passenger may be treated as "Unruly Passenger" and shall be treated as per the law.