CAA bans protocol for VIPs at airports due to coronavirus

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in its new guidelines imposed a ban on giving protocol to VIPs at airports due to the coronavirus pandemic, reported Geo News on Wednesday.

According to the CAA, the guideline will also be applicable on domestic chartered flights, and passengers and staff of private planes.

Under the new rules, apart from the passengers no one else will be allowed to proceed further than the parking area. The CAA has tasked airport managers to ensure social distancing is followed.

“Gloves, masks and protective suits will be mandatory,” said the guideline, adding that planes will be disinfected just before the boarding process begins.

On the other hand, airlines have been tasked to ensure that the passenger's health form is filled before they board the plane and the passengers' examination will be conducted by the health ministry.

The CAA has also made it compulsory that a row must be left vacant in case of an emergency that passengers will be seated with a gap of one seat among them. The authority has also made the disinfecting of the passengers' luggage mandatory.

The guideline have called upon passengers to wear a mask during their flight and in case a passenger shows symptoms of coronavirus, then a complete medical check-up will be done and the affected passenger will be quarantined.

The authority has also imposed a complete ban on eating in the plane, with passengers being provided with a sanitizer after every 30 minutes.

The guidelines will be in effect till August 31 of this year. 

The guidelines have been issued at a time when international and domestic flight operations have been resumed throughout the country .