Covid-19 threat: Passenger footfall, flight operations hit at Patna airport

PATNA: The global outbreak of coronavirus has severely hit passenger movement at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport. Many airlines are virtually running “ghost” flights as the departure and arrival gates at the city airport remain empty.
According to the executives of different airlines, a number of people have cancelled or rescheduled their flights in view of the Covid-19 threat.
SpiceJet officials told this newspaper on Thursday, “The rate of rescheduling a flight, especially an international one, is quite high.”
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Meanwhile, harried flyers are queuing up at ticket counters of different airlines to get their tickets rescheduled or cancelled. One of them, Nihal Singh, who has to travel to Abu Dhabi via Delhi on April 3, said, “The airline has asked me to keep tabs on online booking portals in order to reschedule my ticket.”
Abdullah, who works as a sales executive at a private firm in Oman and hails from Vaishali, claimed, “Although my office is shut, I have been asked to report on April 22. There is no ticket available for Oman from April 15 to 25.”
Precautionary measures at airport: The Patna airport is taking all precautionary measures for containing the spread of Covid-19. The entry of visitors to the terminal building has been stopped with immediate effect and security stepped up.
The airport tweeted on Wednesday night, “We remain committed to preventing the spread of #COVID-19. Airlines, CISF, State Health Services and AAI teams are working together. Mandatory screening of all passengers with international travel history is being ensured.”
Another tweet read, “Screening of domestic passengers has also started.”
Besides, three teams, comprising 16 workers each, have been formed to sanitize the airport premises round the clock. Each of them is working in three shifts of 8 hours every day. They clean the seats, floor, counters and desk thoroughly.
Mohd Jilani, who works as a welder in Dubai, said, “The medical team at the airport did my thorough check-up for at least 25 minutes.”
Niharika Sinha, who returned home from Delhi on Thursday, thanked the airport officials for being on their toes. She said, “All the passengers arriving here were screened. It is good that the airport is not crowded.”
Six flights cancelled
Altogether six flights on the Patna-Delhi and Patna-Ahmedabad routes were cancelled on Thursday due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
Budget carrier GoAir cancelled five flights — four Delhi-bound (G8-143/273, G8-135/136, G8-231/132 and G8-133/134) and one Ahmedabad- bound (G8-515/516).
GoAir executives said, “The step is temporary as the flights have been cancelled as a precautionary measure. Customers will get a full refund. Those, who have to travel due to some urgent work, will get alternate flights.”
Air India also cancelled one Delhi-bound flight (AI-409/410) on Thursday.