E-Paper
Air India cancels 2 Hong Kong flights, cites limited demand, new restrictions
Three passengers on Air India’s AI316 Delhi-Kolkata-Hong Kong flight reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival on April 16
NEW DELHI: Air India will not be flying to Hong Kong till April 24, a move that has come after three passengers on one of its flights reportedly 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.
“Three passengers on Air India’s AI316 Delhi-Kolkata-Hong Kong flight on April 16 tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival,” an airline official said.
According to the latest rule by the Hong Kong government, passengers from India can enter the country only if they have a Covid-19 negative test report that is done 48 hours prior to the journey. “All international passengers are required to take a post-flight Covid-19 test at the airport premises in Hong Kong,” an official added.
Hong Kong recorded 613 new coronavirus cases on Monday, and 20 more deaths. As of Sunday, Hong Kong had confirmed 747 new coronavirus cases. Among the latest infections, 11 were from abroad while the rest were locally transmitted.
International flight operations began on March 27 this year after a gap of two years. Initially, the operations were to resume from December 15, but got delayed due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus. In a second attempt, the civil aviation ministry that was to resume international flights in mid-March, had to delay it due to the Ukraine- Russia conflict.
