Some Indian airlines have reportedly commenced bookings for flights starting from June amid the suspension of commercial flight services till 31st May due to coronavirus lockdown.
People with knowledge of the matter have stated that international flight bookings of SpiceJet will remain closed till 15th June. The commercial flight suspension was put into effect since 25th March due to the implementation of country-wide lockdown by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19. Sources further added that Vistara and Indigo are among the airlines that have started ticket bookings for domestic flights. GoAir, Vistara, and IndiGo are yet to officially comment on the resumption of flight bookings.
Sudhakara Reddy, APAI’s (Air Passengers Association of India) National President, reportedly spoke of this commencement of bookings for some airlines, including 6E, GoAir, and SpiceJet, for international flights. He expressed his concerns regarding the move and recommended that people avoid booking tickets until the travel restrictions are lifted.
Aviation regulator DGCA announced the suspension of the commercial passenger flights till 31st May, following the nationwide lockdown extension till the end of May. It further added that domestic and foreign airlines will be informed in due course about the reopening of the flight operations to or from India.
The civil aviation ministry has urged domestic carriers to refund the whole amount to customers who are seeking ticket cancellation. This advisory was issued following the complaints made by several people on social media regarding the ordeal with the domestic airlines that decided not to refund customers for their cancelled flights in cash, instead providing a credit shell for future travel. The ministry further added that any ticket that was booked during the lockdown period from 25th March to 3rd May is entitled to obtain a full refund without paying any cancellation charges. No further advisory has been issued since then.