PremiumNEW DELHI : The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) has advised all players in the civil aviation sector, including airlines and airports, to cover their employees under the ongoing vaccination programme in an attempt to expedite the vaccination process for employees in the aviation sector, it said in a circular on Thursday.
The guidelines issued by MoCA advised airport operators to establish dedicated vaccination facilities in their respective airports to facilitate expeditious vaccination for the personnel involved in aviation or related services, the circular said. Airport operators should immediately contact state governments and hospitals to set up vaccination centers at the airport, the circular further said.
Premium Premium However, companies that have already made arrangements with the government or private sector for the vaccination of their employees, would be allowed to continue with their plans.
A copy of the circular has been reviewed by Mint.
The guidelines come days after pilots of Air India Ltd threatened to stop working if the company failed to set up vaccination camps across the country for its flying crew earlier this week.
The national carrier has since then announced that it will vaccinate all its employees by the end of May.
The circular further said operators of smaller airports can approach district administrations for extending the vaccination drive.
"The facilities created by the airport operator would be available for all the civil aviation personnel in the first phase and can be extended to the family members subsequently," the circular said, and added that priority should be given to airline crew, ATC (air traffic control) staff, mission critical and passenger-facing staff.
"All airport operators have been advised to designate a nodal officer (an alternative nodal officer may also be kept in readiness) for coordinating the efforts," it added.
The chairman of Airports Authority of India will hold regular meetings to review the progress of the vaccination drive for aviation staff in coordination with MoCA and th Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
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