In order to minimise the risk of spread of the new strain of coronavirus that has emerged in the UK, all flights from the former country have been cancelled till December 31. As of December 22, three flights have arrived, with 591 passengers from the UK to Mumbai airport. Of this, 299 passengers have been requested to mandatorily quarantine themselves. 

However, passengers who were to travel outside of Maharashtra were allowed to do so in context of a connecting flight or travel by road to their residence outside the state. This was done only after informing the respective states about their travels.

Yesterday, CSMIA had four flights, one from Amsterdam and three from London carrying over 690 passengers. On December 22, there were zero flights operating to and from London.  There are five flights arriving and eight departing to Dubai and one departing for Doha.

Now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has announced a list of changes for passengers travelling via Mumbai airport. 

Effective 2359 hrs from December 22, 2020 until 2359 hrs on December 31, 2020, all flights to and from the UK are suspended temporarily.

In addition to this, passengers arriving from the Middle East and European countries too will be subjected to mandatory institutional quarantine, irrespective of their travel plans. 

Any passenger who shows symptoms on arrival will be transferred to a designated COVID facility for further evaluation. The passengers from these regions will be transported by state officials to nearby hotels of their preference, the cost of which they will have to bear themselves, with 7 days of mandatory quarantine. 

Instead of a test at the airport, the passengers will undergo the RT-PCR test during the 5th-7th day of their institutional quarantine at the hotel at their own cost.

Passengers with negative results will be allowed to discharge for a home quarantine of 7 days. Passengers with positive results will be directed to continue the institutional quarantine at the hotel or state designated COVID-19 facility for a further 14 days. 

Effective from December 22, 2020 until January 5, 2021, Mumbai will witness a night curfew from 2300 hrs to 0600 hrs. All operations at CSMIA will continue as scheduled. All public transportation service will remain operational at all times to facilitate travelling of passengers to and from the airport. 

The airport has ensured the provision of PPE kits to all airport staff, including stakeholders such as Immigration, and is following stringent safety measures in the wake of the pandemic.