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Air India flights temporarily banned again by Hong Kong
Hong Kong has once again issued a temporary ban on Air India flights from Delhi for bringing in infected passengers.
Several passengers travelling on an inbound flight from Delhi tested positive for Covid-19, sparking another ban.
This is the airline’s fifth temporary ban, which is effective until 3 December.
"A few passengers on a Delhi-Hong Kong flight of Air India earlier this week tested positive for Covid-19 post-arrival. Consequently, the airline’s Delhi-Hong Kong flights have been banned," a Hong Kong official said.
All arriving passengers must have a negative test result and are then tested again at the airport
This has led to dozens of positive cases in the past few months, especially from flights originating from India.
Air India was hit with previous bans from 18-31 August, 20 September-3 October and 17-30 October, on its Delhi-Hog Kong flights, as well as a ban affecting its Mumbai-Hong Kong flights in late October.
Airlines must submit a declaration before departure that all passengers onboard have been tested and have Covid-negative certificates.
Bans are issued depending on the number of positive cases discovered.
Hong Kong officials have called into question the accuracy of some testing labs in India, and some labs have been blacklisted due to errors.
The airline maintains it follows all necessary procedures.
"Air India has always been adhering to all the mandatory safety protocols for its flights operating to any international or domestic destination. Only those passengers with Covid negative test reports done 72 hours prior to departure, from labs recognised by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), are allowed to board flights," it said in a statement.
"Another mandatory Covid-19 test is carried out after landing in Hong Kong and reports may be at variance from the reports of tests conducted 72 hours before taking the flight."
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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