Dubai suspends Air India Express flights for a day for bringing passengers with COVID positive certificates

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Air India Express said its flights were suspended for 24 hours on Friday by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for bringing two passengers with COVID positive certificates on August 28 and September 4.

As per the UAE rules, passengers traveling from India is required to bring an original COVID negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the arrival.

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India, A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air India Express’ Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline’s other Dubai flights previously.

Air India Express said it had received a “notice of suspension” from the DCAA on September 17 to suspend its Dubai flights from September 18 to October 2 for carrying two passengers, who had COVID positive certificates with them, on different flights.

In its second statement, Air India Express said, “All Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow, September 19, 2020.”

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus spread.

However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements formed between India and 10 other countries since July.

Last month, Air India flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and August 31 after 14 passengers from Delhi-Hong Kong flight on August 14 were tested positive for COVID-19 after arrival.

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