Delhi Airport imposes new restrictions on passengers arriving on international flights

Delhi Airport on Tuesday issued the latest guidelines for passengers arriving on international flights. Passengers with no onward connection will be subject to a mandatory health screening first by airport health officials and then at the Delhi government post, before undergoing a seven-day institutional quarantine.

After this quarantine, which will be at their own expense, passengers must then spend another week in home isolation. There are only a few cases where exemptions are applicable.

Delhi Airport says passengers must sign a commitment saying they are aware of and accept the obligation imposed by the airport authority before their booking is confirmed.

Meanwhile, transit passengers will have to undergo a mandatory temperature check before boarding their next flight.

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Exempted cases

Exemptions will only be granted in four cases, provided that these passengers have the necessary documentation. These cases are: pregnant women, passengers who have suffered death in the family, passengers suffering from serious illness, and parents of 10-year-old or younger children.

Indian airspace has been closed since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although some inbound and outbound rescue and repatriation flights (under what's called the Vande Bharat mission) were performed for the sake of people stranded away from their homes.

A part of the guideline issued by the airport read: “Passengers arriving on an international Vande Bharat Mission flight may only take a connecting domestic flight if it also comes under the Vande Bharat Mission. However, passengers who are planning to board onward domestic flights will have to obtain an authorized exemption certificate, if they are coming through non-Vande Bharat international flights”.