Civil Aviation Ministry allows airlines to resume food, newspaper services on flights

The Ministry of Civil Aviation today allowed all airlines to resume food service on all flights without any restrictions. The decision has been taken after the country saw a major decline in Covid-19 cases and a significant population getting vaccinated.

The ministry on April 15 had barred airlines from offering any type of food services on flights of duration up to two hours. "The airlines offering flights on domestic routes may provide meal service on board, without restrictions on the duration of flights," the ministry order said today. As per the government, the airlines can also provide magazines and other reading material (including newspapers) to flight passengers.

News agency PTI had reported on November 13 that the Union Health Ministry informed the Civil Aviation Ministry to resume food service on flights with a duration of less than two hours. The ministry also said the crew members on a flight need not wear coveralls but should continue to wear gloves, masks and face shields, the agency had reported.

When the scheduled domestic flight services were resumed on May 25 last year after the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Civil Aviation Ministry had allowed the airlines to serve in-flight meals under certain conditions.

The Director-General of the Civil Aviation (DGCA) has, meanwhile, extended the ban on scheduled international flights till October 31, 2021. However, international all-cargo operations and flights with the DGCA's approval will continue. The ban was imposed in March 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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