AAI says 32 airports to resume operations, airlines issue travel advisories
Mumbai, May 12 (PTI): Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday announced that civilian flight operations will resume at 32 airports that were temporarily shut last week in view of the military standoff between India and Pakistan.
Airlines, including Air India, AirIndia Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet, issued travel advisories/ updates to their customers following the opening of the civil flight operations from these 32 airports.
In a statement on Monday, state-owned AAI said the 32 airports that were closed for civilian aircraft operations till 0529 hours of May 15 are now available for operations with immediate effect. "It is recommended for travellers to check flight status directly with Airlines and monitor airlines' websites for regular updates," the statement said.
Civilian flight operations from the 32 airports across northern and western India, including Srinagar and Amritsar, were suspended from May 9 to May 15. The AAI along with other aviation authorities had issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India for all civilian flight operations.
Security measures were enhanced, and at least 32 airports in northern and western parts of the country were temporarily shut in view of the conflict between India and Pakistan. On Saturday, India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect.
Air India in a statement on Monday said, "Air India will progressively resume flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot starting Tuesday, May 13." It also said that bookings for these sectors are now open.
Air India Express, in a statement, said it "will gradually reinstate flight operations from previously closed airports, following the lifting of NOTAMS by the authorities."
Starting Tuesday, services will resume on routes including Hindon-Bengaluru, Jammu-Delhi, Jammu-Srinagar, and Srinagar-Delhi, it added.
Operations on Hindon-Mumbai are planned to resume the day after, AirIndia Express said, adding the reinstatement of other flights, including international services from Amritsar, is expected to follow from May 15..
"Following the government directives, the recently closed airports are now available for airlines operations," IndiGo said in a statement.
The Gurugram-based airline also said it has reopened its flight bookings and resumed operations starting May 12, progressively on select routes, beginning with Delhi - Chandigarh, Delhi - Jammu - Delhi and Delhi - Amritsar - Delhi.
Over the course of the next few days, more flights will resume gradually across the network, IndiGo said.
Meanwhile, SpiceJet in a travel update said, "flight restrictions to/from Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Dharamshala, Kandla & Amritsar have been lifted." "Flights will resume soon," the airline added.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
