Five-year-old flies to Bengaluru alone, meets mother after months
What's the story
As domestic flights resumed in India after weeks, among the first fliers was a five-year-old, who was stuck in Delhi for the past three months. The boy, Vihaan Sharma, traveled to Bengaluru alone and was greeted by his overjoyed mother. Their reunion warmed several hearts. He was traveling as a special category passenger. To note, flight operations were suspended due to coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Context
Planes, parked for weeks, took off in a limited manner
A few days ago, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that domestic flights would resume in a "calibrated manner". The aviation industry was battered as lockdown stopped people from traveling. When flights restarted, after a long day of negotiations, the crew was seen dressed in PPE gear, passengers were screened thermally, and were given masks. Meanwhile, deaths due to COVID-19 crossed 4,000.
Statement
Vihaan wore yellow mask, jacket, and blue gloves
Vihaan wore blue gloves, a yellow mask, and a jacket, as he held a card reading "special category". His mother said, "My five-year-old son Vihaan has traveled alone from Delhi, he has come back to Bengaluru after three months." The official Twitter handle of Bengaluru Airport also welcomed him, adding "BLR Airport is constantly working towards enabling the safe return of all our passengers."
Twitter Post
Vihaan's mother held on to him
Karnataka:Passengers leave from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, as two flights have landed till now at the airport. A mother who came to receive her son says,"My 5-yr-old son Vihaan Sharma has travelled alone from Delhi,he has come back to Bengaluru after 3 months" pic.twitter.com/oAOsLCi7v9
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2020
Plans
Authorities want minimum contact between people
Meanwhile, the authorities have made elaborate arrangements to promote "parking-to-boarding contactless" journey at Bengaluru Airport. For this, CISF personnel will check the boarding pass/ID card using an electronic device or magnifying glass, doormats will be soaked in bleach to disinfect footwear, and a contactless kiosk will be installed for fliers to collect baggage tags before going to a counter to drop their luggage.
Flights
Several flights were canceled but passengers claimed they weren't informed
On a related note, the resumption of services proved troublesome for some passengers in Delhi, Mumbai, and other key airports. As many as 82 flights, to and from Delhi, were canceled with passengers claiming they weren't told about this earlier. Some fliers remained outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as their flights were canceled. They too weren't told in advance.