Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Mumbai until November 10 (file)
New Delhi:
Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Mumbai until November 10 after some passengers on its flight earlier this week tested positive for coronavirus upon arrival, a senior government official said Wednesday.
This is the fourth time Air India flights from India have been banned by the Hong Kong government for passengers who tested positive for the infection after arrival.
The previous bans were on Delhi-Hong Kong airline flights between September 20 and October 3, August 18 to August 31, and October 17 to October 30.
Passengers from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a negative COVID-19 certificate from a test conducted within 72 hours of travel, according to rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July.
Additionally, all international passengers are required to undergo a post-flight COVID-19 test at Hong Kong airport.
In addition to India, a negative COVID-19 pre-flight certificate is mandatory for all passengers from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, the UK and the US, according to Hong Kong government rules.
An airline operating a flight to Hong Kong from these countries must submit a form prior to departure, stating that all passengers on board have negative COVID-19 certificates.
“Some passengers who traveled on Air India’s Mumbai-Hong Kong flight earlier this week tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Hong Kong,” the senior government official said.
“Subsequently, Mumbai-Hong Kong flights were banned from October 28 to November 10 by the Hong Kong government,” the official added.
Scheduled international passenger flights remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the pandemic.
However, Indian airlines have been allowed to operate special international flights under the Vande Bharat Mission since May this year and under the bilateral air bubble pacts since July this year.
Under a bilateral air bubble pact, airlines from both countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions. India has formed such pacts with approximately 18 countries.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
.
