Fly out stranded passengers, govt directs airlines

Mumbai: With more than 40,000 passengers stranded in Mumbai and Delhi, the civil aviation ministry has stepped in to mitigate the effect of the crisis and help airlines deal better with the situation. Ministry sources said airline officials were told on Tuesday to ask their passengers to defer their travel plans to Europe till flights resume and the backlog of stranded passengers is clear.
The directive came as most flights are already booked to capacity and very few seats will be available even when airspace restrictions are lifted. The ministry asked airlines to request confirmed passengers to voluntarily postpone their travel plans if possible and accommodate those stranded as a priority.
‘‘The ministry cannot make recommendations to foreign airlines. However, Indian carriers have been asked to check if any of their booked passengers are willing to give up seats in favour of those stuck in the country,’’ a ministry official said.
21/04/10 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2010