India's new flying rules: No mask and SOP violation can land you in ‘no-fly list’

As per the latest development, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now asked airlines to put those passengers on the ‘no-fly list’ who violate the standard operating procedures (SOPs) or do not wear masks during a flight. This means, you will no longer be allowed to fly if you don’t wear masks or comply with the COVID related protocols.

Meanwhile, the government has also allowed airlines to resume in-flight meal services on domestic flights, and serve alcohol and hot meals on international flights, however, those being subject to certain guidelines.
Therefore, from now on, passengers who intentionally don't use a face mask, and poses a risk to other passengers, they will be put on ‘no-fly list’ by flight commander or the cabin crew after assessment. However, passengers will be allowed to remove facemasks if absolutely necessary and that too for legitimate reasons.
In India, the no-fly list is governed by the civil aviation requirement issued by the DGCA, which underlines the procedure for a person to be disallowed from flying. As per the SOPs, an airline operating flights during the COVID-19 has been mandated to provide their passengers with a face-shield, face mask, and hand sanitizer prior to boarding the aircraft.
Further, when the domestic flights were allowed to resume operations on May 25 by the Civil Aviation Ministry, airlines were not allowed to serve meals on board. Also, passengers were not allowed to consume anything inside the aircraft during the flight operation, except on health grounds.