Modify check-in systems ahead of new Covid norms: Civil aviation ministry to airlines

Passengers walk through a departure terminal of the international airport in Beijing on December 29. The new rule will come into effect from January 1, 2023. Pic/AFP

The civil aviation ministry on Friday asked airlines to modify their check-in systems for international passengers coming into India as part of the revised COVID-19 guidelines, which makes a negative COVID test report a must for travellers coming from China and five other countries from Sunday.

The ministry's direction comes a day after the health ministry decided to make RT-PCR negative test reports compulsory for passengers coming on all international flights from six high-risk countries - China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.

The new rule will come into effect from January 1, 2023, amid rising coronavirus cases in these six countries and some other parts of the world.

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Airlines are directed to modify their check-in functionalities to incorporate the changes and issue boarding passes only to those international passengers travelling from the six countries who have submitted self-declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a communication. "Air Suvidha portal self-declaration has been made operational for passengers travelling on all international flights from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan, with a provision to allow these international travellers arriving in India to upload negative RT-PCR test reports as well as to submit self-declaration forms," it said.

According to the Union health ministry, RT-PCR testing should be done 72 hours prior to the journey. The current random testing of 2 per cent of arriving passengers on each international flight will also continue.

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