NEW DELHI: Dubai aviation authorities on Thursday barred Air India Express from flying there for 15 days after the budget airline flew a Covid positive person from Jaipur to Dubai on September 4. The flight suspension for AI Express will be from Friday (September 18) to 11.59 pm (local time) on October 2. Comments from the airline are awaited.
UAE has a condition that passengers must have a Covid negative test report to be accepted on any flight bound for there. This is the second time that AI Express flew a passenger with a Covid positive report to Dubai, according to a mail sent by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) to the airline.
Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates
Apart from suspension of operation, DCAA has asked AI Express to “pay all the expenditure incurred by the respective authorities for medical services and/or quarantine of any passenger(s) and the other passengers in that flight and also any other expenditure connected thereto.” And to resume operations from October 3, the airline has been asked to “submit a detailed corrective action/procedure implemented to prevent such incidents from occurring again”.
According to DCAA mail to the airline, AI Express Jaipur-Dubai flight (IX 1135) of September 4 flew a passenger who had a positive report from a test conducted two days prior to the journey.
“You are aware of our previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2, 2020, for boarding a passenger with a Covid-19 positive test result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk. Boarding a passenger with Covid-19 positive test result for the second time, is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedures and/or protocols relating to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai, during the Coronavirus SARS Cov. 2 pandemic. Therefore, all operation of Air India Express to Dubai Airports is temporary suspended, for a duration of 15 days,” the DCAA mail to AI Express says.
UAE requires that all all passengers travelling to Dubai from any destination must have a printed negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate to be accepted on the flight. The test must be taken a maximum of 96 hours before departure.
Only children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability are exempt from this test. Passengers going to UAE from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh need to get this test done from labs designated by it.
Recently Hong Kong had barred Air India flights for some days when some passengers tested positive there after flying in from India.
UAE has a condition that passengers must have a Covid negative test report to be accepted on any flight bound for there. This is the second time that AI Express flew a passenger with a Covid positive report to Dubai, according to a mail sent by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) to the airline.
Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates
Apart from suspension of operation, DCAA has asked AI Express to “pay all the expenditure incurred by the respective authorities for medical services and/or quarantine of any passenger(s) and the other passengers in that flight and also any other expenditure connected thereto.” And to resume operations from October 3, the airline has been asked to “submit a detailed corrective action/procedure implemented to prevent such incidents from occurring again”.
According to DCAA mail to the airline, AI Express Jaipur-Dubai flight (IX 1135) of September 4 flew a passenger who had a positive report from a test conducted two days prior to the journey.
“You are aware of our previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2, 2020, for boarding a passenger with a Covid-19 positive test result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk. Boarding a passenger with Covid-19 positive test result for the second time, is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedures and/or protocols relating to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai, during the Coronavirus SARS Cov. 2 pandemic. Therefore, all operation of Air India Express to Dubai Airports is temporary suspended, for a duration of 15 days,” the DCAA mail to AI Express says.
UAE requires that all all passengers travelling to Dubai from any destination must have a printed negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate to be accepted on the flight. The test must be taken a maximum of 96 hours before departure.
Only children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability are exempt from this test. Passengers going to UAE from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh need to get this test done from labs designated by it.
Recently Hong Kong had barred Air India flights for some days when some passengers tested positive there after flying in from India.
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