Ever since covid outbreak from March 23, Indian administration granted airlines to facilitate special flights – under the “Vande Bharat” umbrella – and bilateral “air bubble” pacts agreement with 18 countries since July.
However, there had been instances where Indians tested positive in several occasions while flying abroad. Hong Kong and Dubai aviation ministry suspended flights from Air India after passengers tested positive. In another incident, reports speculated that passengers aboard Delhi-Wuhan tested positive.
Air India has reacted sharply to news circulating that 19 Indians aboard Delhi-China’s Wuhan on a “Vande Bharat” flight on Friday tested positive for the virus on arrival to Wuhan.
Air India management stated that it strictly goes in accordance with the rules framed by regulatory bodies and conforms to requirements at destination airports. Air India claimed that all passengers on its Wuhan flight have negative Covid test reports from authorised labs.
According to the recent regulations, all Indian passengers ought to undergo two Covid tests before getting a nod to board flights. “There is no question of passengers boarding any of our flights without valid Covid reports,” the airline spokesperson asserted.
Nonetheless, reports circulated that 39 others are asymptomatic but Chinese officials were dubious that they have contracted the infection too. All 58 are said to have been suspended and transferred to COVID-19 units.