No Packed Meals In Domestic Flights Lasting Less Than 2 Hours; Check SOPs Here

The Civil Aviation Ministry's decision comes in as India has replaced Brazil as the country that is second-most affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

New Delhi: To reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday announced that there no meals will be given for domestic flight with a duration of less than two hours.

This comes a day after when the country kicked off a 4-day-long “Tika Utsav” or vaccine festival to inoculate a maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus. It is being held following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the chief ministers of all states and union territories.

"Airlines may serve pre-packed snacks/meals/beverages as per the policy of the airlines, wherein the flight duration is two hours or more," the fresh order reads.

As per the guidelines, disposable tray set-up, plates and cutlery will be used in all classes which shall not be re-used.

As for beverages, there will be no pouring services and they will also be served in single-use disposables.

The airlines' crew have been directed to wear a fresh set of gloves for every meal or beverage service.

The detailed guidelines can be read here.

Meanwhile, in a grim feat, India has replaced Brazil as the country that is second-most affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, having registered a record 1,68,912 infections in 24 hours.

India’s overall count breached 13.53 million, surpassing Brazil’s 13.45 million cases, according to data compiled by Reuters. The United States remains at the number one spot in terms of infections with 31.2 million cases so far. Deaths in India stood at 904 in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 1,70,179, as per official data.