Business Desk, ETV Bharat: The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express operations to the Dubai airport for 15 days after the airline allegedly carried a passenger with Covid-19 positive certificate.
The flight suspension for Air India Express will be from Friday to October 2. Meanwhile, the airline is diverting DXB flights to Sharjah today.
According to a notice issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Air India Express had carried the passenger on September 4, on flight IX1135, from Jaipur to Dubai.
The passenger had a Covid-19 positive certificate, issued on September 2 by a Jaipur base diagnostic centre, the notice accessed by ETV Bharat stated.
Dubai aviation regulator has alleged that two coronavirus positive passengers flew on board the flights to Dubai on two separate occasions despite having Covid-19 positive test reports.
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"Boarding a passenger with COVID 19 Positive test result for the second time, is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedures and/or protocols relating to air travel to and from Airports in the Emirate of Dubai, during the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic," the notice sent to Air India Express stated.
Along with the suspension of AI Express for 15 days, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has asked the airline to pay all the expenditure incurred by the respective authorities for medical services and/or quarantine of any passenger(s) and other passengers in that flight and also any other connected expenditure.
Notably, this is the second instance when an Air India group has been barred from flying to a destination for violating Covid-19 protocols. On August 18, Hong Kong had banned Air India from operating for two weeks.
