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Air India flights to Hong Kong cancelled amid spike
Passengers from India can enter Hong Kong only if they have a Covid-19 negative test report done 48 hours prior to the journey, local authorities have mandated
Air India has cancelled Hong Kong flights till April 24 on muted demand and restrictions imposed by local authorities, a move that came after three passengers of Air India tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival on Saturday.
“Due to restrictions imposed by the Hong Kong authorities and limited demand on the sector, our flights to Hong Kong and back on the 19th and 23rd of April stand cancelled,” Air India said in a post on Twitter on Sunday night.
“Three passengers on Air India’s AI316 Delhi-Kolkata-Hong Kong flight on April 16 tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival,” an official of the carrier said, seeking anonymity.
Passengers from India can enter Hong Kong only if they have a Covid-19 negative test report done 48 hours prior to the journey, local authorities have mandated. All international passengers are additionally required to take a post-flight Covid-19 test at the airport.
“A lady passenger who was negative before departure had tested positive for Covid-19 after arrival. As a result of which the lady’s husband and a fellow passenger were immediately quarantined,” another airline official said, declining to be named.
“Apart from Air India, one flight each of All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines have been restricted to fly to Hong Kong for a week,” the second official said. “Cathay Pacific’s two flights have been restricted.”
It is not the first time airline firms are facing such an issue. In January, Hong Kong had announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries due to the surge in the Omicron, which included India.
Hong Kong recorded 613 new coronavirus cases on Monday, and 20 more deaths. Till Sunday, Hong Kong had confirmed 747 new coronavirus cases. Among the latest infections, 11 were from abroad, while the rest were local residents.
International flight operations began on March 27 after a gap of two years. Initially, operations were to resume from December 15, but that was delayed due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In a second attempt, India’s civil aviation ministry that was to allow regular international flights in mid-March, had to delay it further due to the war in Ukraine.
