: Health authorities at various airports across the country have conducted Covid-19 virus screening for nearly 12 lakh passengers who came into India, of whom only 3,225 were referred for further tests, union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday.
Speaking at "Wings India 2020", an aviation related event being held here, he said domestic passenger traffic was down by 10 to 15 per cent owing to the killer virus.
He however, exuded confidence that the situation would become normal and the growth story of the sector would continue.
Puri also categorically said there would not be any bailout package for any airline in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and suggested that they approach oil companies, seeking a 30 day credit supply of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
He said he had requested the oil ministry tofollow 15- days price adjustment for ATF instead of 30 days as crude prices are dropping, a suggestion he hoped would befollowed.
Puri also said he spoke to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to explore the possibility of bringing ATF under the ambit of GST.
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"Our airports today constitute a benchmark for how airports globally should be running in situations like this, especially the 30 airports where these checks and screening (for coronavirus) are done.
As per latest figures, we have screened 10,876 flights coming in from outside and screened 11,71,061 passengers or 12 lakh passengers or so.
I think this figure will go up as we speak. Of these 12 lakh passengers, 3,225 required further screening," he said.
The minister said there have been only two deaths and "80 known cases" of the virus and they are recovering.
Puri, who attended a meeting with some CEOs of the airlines industry as part of "Wings India 2020", later told reporters at a press conference that there was a necessity to bring ATF under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax.
He said that airlines have been requesting that Aviation Turbine Fuel, which constitutes 40 per cent of the operating expenditure of an airline, be brought under GST.
"It is not airlines alone. I am also advocating it.
I formally have taken it up with the Finance Minister and other parts (departments) of the Government have also taken it up and we are hopeful we will get a decision on this soon," he said when asked about the industry concerns in the wake of dwindling traffic.
He said airline and airport operators were of the opinion that the challenge posed by thecoronavirus outbreak would provide an opportunity to emerge from this even stronger.
On the Air India disinvestment process, he said the plan was at a "fairly advanced stage" and that the deadline for submitting bids had been extended.