By Rohit Vaid

New Delhi, Apr 13 (IANS): Even though the Centre has given no specific date for operational revival, airline major SpiceJet has prepared an extensive blueprint and tested new protocols which will be used as and when operations commence.

Accordingly, the blueprint emphasises on "Social Distancing" norms, right from check-in counters, to the terminal ferry buses and on-board the aircraft.

In the first instance, the airline has marked coaches and aircraft seats with "X" which means "no occupancy".

Even the aircraft boarding staircase steps are marked properly with special ink which will illuminate at night to set a metre of a distance between passengers.

Further, the airline is training crew to operate in the new environment - on-board and off-board.

Last month, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed to ensure passengers inside the aircraft not to sit next to each other and to leave a seat between two passengers.

"Seat allocation at the time of check-in to be done in a manner to ensure that the seat between two passengers is kept empty," the DGCA circular had said.

The decision was made with an aim to ensure social distancing between two passengers and avoid the spread of coronavirus infection.

It is among the several social distancing norms announced by the aviation regulator.

Besides, preparing the blueprint the airline has recently made a mark by ferrying the largest quantities of medical cargo in both domestic and international routes.

SpiceJet has operated 220 flights since the lockdown began, carrying more than 1,850 tonnes of cargo, more than double of all domestic airlines combined. Out of these 61 were international cargo flights.

The airline has operated special cargo flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and a host of other places carrying vital supplies.