Air India Express resumes Dubai flights after brief suspension

Our Correspondent

All Air India Express flights to and from Dubai will operate as per original schedule with effect from September 19, the airline announced on Twitter and Facebook on September 19. This announcement followed a one day suspension ordered by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority for flouting COVID-19 travel regulations.

Regarding the suspension notice from DCAA, Air India Express said: “The notice has been issued on account of erroneous acceptance of two Covid-19 positive passengers by the airline’s ground handling agents, one at Delhi and another at Jaipur.” It added: “As per information gathered, passengers who were seated in close proximity to the Covid-19 positive passenger on each flight have undergone tests and quarantined as determined by the Dubai Health Authority.”

On September 18, the DCAA had ordered a 15-day suspension of the airline’s Dubai operations and its Dubai flights had to be rescheduled to Sharjah. The rescheduled flights were to Kozhikode (Calicut), Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi, Mumbai and Kannur. Barring one or two, most of the passengers flew on the rescheduled flights both ways, an airline official said.

The airline pointed out that before receiving the notice, it submitted a letter to the DCAA expressing the airline’s sincere apologies and detailing the various actions taken by it in association with the ground handling agents concerned to safeguard against repeat of such incidents.

“Air India Express has advised the handling agents to implement a three-tier checking mechanism to avoid any such lapse in the future,” it said.
The DCAA has asked Air India to pay for all the expenditures incurred by the respective authorities regarding medical/ quarantine of any passenger on the flights that carried the two COVID-positive travellers.

The UAE has made it mandatory for all incoming passengers to procure a Covid-19 negative test result. Passengers travelling from India can get the test done from a Pure Health or an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved laboratory.

India has an air bubble agreement with UAE that is valid till October 31.