Hong Kong has banned Air India from flying to the city for two weeks on the grounds that flights from India were carrying too many passengers with COVID-19, the South China Morning Post reported.
The suspension will be in effect from August 18 to August 31, the publication reported.
The move came after 11 "imported" cases of COVID-19 were detected on an Air India flight that came from New Delhi on August 14. The cases were attributed to "poor pre-flight testing" for the virus.
The incident raised concerns among Hong Kong officials about whether "robust pre-flight health checks were being undertaken in India", despite strict requirements for entry.
“The fact 11 passengers tested positive on the same flight shows the lab tests back in India are not very reliable... The airline has to do deep cleaning [on its planes] and make sure it won’t happen again on future flights before they can be resumed," the South China Morning Post quoted a Hong Kong government source as saying.
An Air India charter flight scheduled to land on Tuesday afternoon in Hong Kong was denied permission. "On Hong Kong International Airport’s website, Air India flight 310 from Delhi, expected to arrive at 4.30pm on Tuesday, was cancelled," the South China Morning Post reported. The cancelled Air India flight was " fully booked, carrying more than 200 passengers, some of whom had travelled from around the nation to reach the capital (New Delhi) but were now stranded".
Since July 25, Hong Kong has required pre-boarding certificates, showing negative status for COVID-19 from travellers coming from nine high-risk nations, including India and the US.
"The test has to be taken within 72 hours before boarding, and passengers also must carry proof that they have booked a hotel for at least two weeks for self-quarantine upon arrival. The Hong Kong government also requires a declaration from Indian authorities certifying that laboratories producing coronavirus test results have been approved by them," The South China Morning Post reported.
Air India appeared to confirm the move by Hong Kong. In response to a query on Twitter, Air India informed, "Dear Ma'am, Due to restrictions imposed by Hong Kong Authorities, AI 310/315, Delhi-Hong Kong-Delhi of 18th August 2020 stands postponed. Next update in this regard will be intimated soon..."
Air India has previously faced restrictions from the US, Qatar and the UAE for its Vande Bharat flights. However, those restrictions related to commercial reasons, unlike the move by Hong Kong, which has cited health considerations.
