New Delhi: Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the International flight operations may start by middle of June or at the end of July, if the Covid-19 pandemic behaves in a predictable manner. On Saturday afternoon he clarified during a online discussion with the public the norms governing “calibrated” restart of domestic flights from Monday.

The government was working towards restarting a good percentage of passenger flights that have been grounded since the start of the lockdown to break the Covid-19 chain of transmission. Puri also said today that why wait till to resume the International flights August / September, if the Covid-19 situation is improves or eases.

During his interaction the minister also said he did not understand the need to quarantine domestic fliers who show “green” status on the Aarogya Setu app. He made a similar point during a press briefing on Thursday, during which he revealed details of revised flight ops, including air fares. The minister also said only six states insisting that people arriving via domestic flights will be quarantined.

This morning Karnataka said incoming passengers from six states with the most infections will have to undergo seven-day institutional quarantine and seven days of home isolation. Exemptions will be made for the elderly, the terminally-ill, children and pregnant women. Tamil Nadu urged the center of Friday to rethink the reopening of air travel, citing the speedy growth of Covid-19 cases in state capital Chennai and non functioning public transport, which will trouble passengers commuting between the airport and the city.

The minister in a debate over quarantine for all passengers was ruled away on Thursday. He also said that same laws will apply here for quarantine, when you travel by train or a bus. People who are positive will not be allowed to board the flights,” he said. 200 regular passenger trains will also be start operating from June 1^st. Passengers will also have to show “green” on the Aarogya Setu app before travelling, and will have to spend 14 days in isolation on arrival.