There have been a lot of speculations about what the impact of the lockdown and the pandemic has been on the aviation industry. With losses that are mounting to billions…
2. Flights have been given permission to run in full capacity at this point of time and the middle seat may not necessarily be left empty. What are your thoughts on that? This is an issue which has been debated ad nauseam. Optically blocking the middle seat is something that provides some visual relief to customers and assurances. But let me also state very clearly that if you look at the way airlines operate and especially Vistara, there's a lot of safeguards and measures in place even before the passengers even come to the airport and board the aircraft.“If you look at it industry wise, I think we're doing still 50 to 60% load factors"
We are also asking the customers to do their part because it takes two to tango. So we need customers to make sure that they come to the airport only if they are fit and not from a containment zone. We request our customers to not move around also and thankfully for the last week at least we've seen that all of them have been followed very well. 4. While we are taking safety measures against Covid what happens to the regular safety measures in the airline be the oxygen masks and all of that is that is the gear going to be a hindrance in terms of the regular airline safety measures? Aviation is one of the most regulated and safety-conscious industries. So that's not changed and there’s no compromise on that. In fact, there are procedures involving the DGCA and the ministry to make sure that the safety is not compromised. So all the measures seen now are an additional layer of protection over the basic safety norms that we already have right now. 5. It is said that the airport authority is going to do medical check-ups. Is the airline also additionally doing anything in terms of thermal screening or any other tests to be done while boarding. When the passenger enters the airport terminal building, there is a temperature screening. In addition to that, we've been doing it for the passengers who board the aircraft. We are also doing a secondary temperature check to make sure that no asymptomatic passengers are boarding.“What we as an airline are doing right from enabling web check-in, making sure that it is contactless, there is as minimal human interaction as possible, making sure that the aircraft disinfected and sanitized as well”
We did have to make some remuneration changes. So about 30% of us have had to take a shorter work week or a shorter work month, which translates into some cost reduction as well. But 70% of our staff which is the front liners, people who are at the lowest in combat. We managed to insulate them thus far. 7. The government has put a cap in terms of the airfare. So is that also hurting the business in any way? Certain sectors where the flights are full and we could have been given independence and freedom, to be able to match demand and supply. Having said that, I know why the government has come up with the cap. I think there's a rationale to it as well. We don't want airlines to price below cost. We also don't want airlines to price too high because there are customers who are affected in different parts of the country who may not be able to afford it. I would have said that it's best if we can operate on an independent basis. Now that we know that there's a rationale behind why the band has been put into effect. But those are the rules of the game and we have to abide by that. Also read: DGCA: Wrap-Around Gowns For Middle Seat Passengers 8. When will we see the aviation industry bouncing back to normalcy or what will it take for the aviation business to thrive? The easiest and the simplest answer which is also the toughest actually to get through, is confidence. So as a traveler as a passenger, I think once the passenger gains confidence to say. Airline travel is still the safest form of travel between point A and B. The airlines are putting in a lot of efforts to mitigate the risks and the airlines remain committed to making sure that there's minimal infection and spread. I think once that message gets through and I think it is getting through, the possibility of us being able to fulfill our flights increases immediately and that is in fact the best way to make airlines more healthy.“We have minimal impact on the staff. There's no job losses. We try and maintain and retain as many jobs”
10. What about international flights? Well, I'm hoping for the best and I'm hoping to see when that resumes. For now, at least I think the month of June has been ruled out. So the latest circular from the ministry says that we have to wait at least until the 1st of July and the decision is still not taken. There is a huge demand for that as well. I mean there are customers and companies which are getting in touch with us for charter flights because there are people stuck in different parts of the world. To be fair, international travel will take some time because it's a function of the other party."We have also seen that there has been a general increase to the Eastern part of the country. So I suppose these are people who are working in the Metros, whether it's in Delhi Mumbai Bangalore and are now heading back."