Having found that several international airlines were not providing sufficient number of self-declaration forms to their passengers travelling into India, the country’s aviation safety regulator, DGCA, has shot off a missive to the carriers asking them to comply to the rules or face strict action. To contain the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the government last week announced that all international passengers to India will now have to submit self-declaration forms, which include personal particulars such as phone number and address in India, and travel history, to health officials and immigration officials at all ports on arrival. This, along with mandatory thermal screening of passengers, has resulted in serpentine queues at arrival halls of international airports. “. All airlines operating on international sectors, therefore, are advised again to ensure availability of sufficient number of self-declaration forms as specified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and get them filled in duplicate before disembarkation,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in an order dated March 10. A senior DGCA official, without naming the airlines, said a few international airlines were found to be lacking in this regard, adding that the regulator “can stop their operations” if non-compliance continued.
