According to the latest reports, Maharashtra has finally agreed to reopen its airports for passengers. The state has said that it will permit 25 flights to operate to and from Mumbai. This means that 25 flights will take off and 25 flights will land in the state. The announcement was made by state minister Nawab Malik. According to him, the state is going to start with 25 flights, those that will fly from the Mumbai airport. This number will increase in time.
Previously, Maharashtra was sceptical about going along with the opening of domestic flights given the fact that the state has been deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Reports suggest that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Hardeep Singh Puri, the Aviation Minister in regards to this and relayed the message that Mumbai international airport required more time to restart operations.
Uddhav Thackray has asked the Mumbai airport to come up with a specific plan regarding its operations. This is important as it has been noted that the Mumbai airport falls under the red zone. Similarly, other airports in the state, such as Nagpur and Pune, also fall under red zones. Safety is then, of course, the utmost priority for these areas.
It has also been suggested that there should be a minimum number of domestic flights from the state. Urgent flights such as for foreign travellers, medical requirements, students, etc, should be the ones operating.
The Chief Minister said that the state needs to assess its coming days, and it cannot be said that the lockdown will be lifted on May 31.