Temperature screening and face masks will become common sights at airports to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus but physical distancing could make flying more expensive, say many experts.
Around the world, governments, airports and airlines are considering temporary safety measures to restart air travel, including mandatory temperature checks, wearing face masks and keeping passengers apart.
Though India has allowed some repatriation flights, it is not clear when normal flights will restart. Temporary safety measures should be expected when flights start flying again. Many say that physical distancing rules would however eventually limit growth as demand rebounds.
Many flights will not be able to operate at anything close to their original design capacity if they had to maintain social distancing.
Physical distancing could also increase airfares if airlines were restricted to selling fewer tickets in order to keep some seats empty. But until there was a vaccine, treatment or reliable, quick method to detect the virus, measures that reduce the risk of contagion would need to be enforced and regaining public confidence in the safety of air travel is seen by the aviation industry as a significant challenge.