The Hong Kong government suspended Air India flights on Sunday after an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus disease, according to local media reports.
Many local media quoted the Hong Kong health department as saying that Air India and Cathay Dragon flights were suspended until October 3 after passengers on board were found to be infected with Covid-19.
Cathay Pacific said in a statement that five passengers from India who were on a Cathay Dragon flight between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on September 18 tested positive for Covid-19, even after they had negative nucleic acid tests before their travel. The passengers were previously traveling on an India Express flight.
Hong Kong had the highest number of new infections in nearly a month. A third of the 23 new cases were in people who had recently traveled from India, according to the Center for Health Protection. Only four local infections were reported.
Hong Kong had also banned flights operated by Air India in August. These flights were part of the Vande Bharat Mission.
The Vande Bharat Mission began in early May to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A passenger from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a negative Covid-19 certificate from a test carried out 72 hours before the trip, according to the rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July.
Air India Express flights were suspended for 24 hours on Friday by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for carrying two Covid-positive passengers on August 28 and September 4.
According to UAE government rules, each passenger traveling from India must bring an original negative Covid certificate from the RT-PCR test conducted 96 hours before travel.
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