New Delhi (NVI): Air India Express flights to and from Dubai have been suspended for 15 days from September 18 until October 3, for ferrying coronavirus positive patients to Dubai twice during the last couple of weeks.
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has stopped Air India Express from flying to Dubai for 15 days, starting today, alleging that two coronavirus positive passengers flew on board the flights to Dubai on two separate occasions despite having Covid-19 positive test reports.
As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India needs to bring original coronavirus-negative certificate from RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey.
The airline, which has been operating flights under the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate stranded Indians from the UAE, is also flying passengers eligible to return to the UAE from India under the air bubble agreement between the two countries.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority further added that boarding a coronavirus patient was in violation of the laid down procedures relating to the air travel to and from Dubai airports during the coronavirus pandemic.
For the resumption of the Air India Express flights to Dubai, Air India has been requested to submit a detailed corrective action or procedure implemented to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
-CHK
