AGARTALA / NEW DELHI, May 24 (TIWN): Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been developed to face the new challenge under COVID-19 outbreak as the flight passengers will be landing from today in Agartala MBB Airport. Addressing media, Law Minister Ratanlal Nath said that a meeting was held with Airport Authority to develop an SOP to set the procedures of boarding and check-in. He said thermal screening of all passengers is mandatory and all those passengers with foreign travel history in last 28 days, their samples will be collected and till results declared, they will be kept in facilitating quarantine.The Minister further said, if a passenger who wants to leave for his own country Bangladesh via Akhaura checkpost, for him/her a special vehicle has been managed which will take the passenger to Akhaura checkpost.Thus, hotels have been opened so that anyone can stay there but with social distancing. Minister Ratanlal Nath said that anyone wants to reside in hostels must have a proper cause like tickets of travel either rail, bus, flight or medical papers and important reason showing papers. Noteworthy, states across the country will resume domestic flight services on Monday except Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri.

"It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation ops," tweeted Puri while referring to the meeting called by Ministry of Civil Aviation of airlines and airport operators on domestic flight resumption from 25 May. At the meeting, SOPs for states/UTs was also discussed.

While the flight operations will begin from 26 May in Andhra's Vijaywada and Vizag airports, those in West Bengal will recommence from 28 May on a limited scale.