Hong Kong bans Cathay Dragon flights from Kuala Lumpur and Air India after positive Covid-19 tests

Hong Kong has temporarily barred Cathay Dragon’s Kuala Lumpur service and Air India from flying passengers to the financial hub after a number of passengers originating from India tested positive for Covid-19. For Air India, the ban was its second in little more than a month after its most recent flight on September 18 carried six passengers with Covid-19. On the same day, Cathay Dragon carried five passengers that had the virus, who had transited through Kuala Lumpur. Under emergency health regulations tightened on September 15, any airline that carries five Covid-19 passengers or more, or two consecutive flights with three or more diagnosed passengers, faces being banned from Hong Kong. Both airlines are barred from operating their respective services until October 3. The move means ­repatriation flights operated by Air ­India are grounded, and a Cathay Dragon transit route – Kuala Lumpur – is being shut for ­thousands of Indian citizens desperately seeking to return to Hong Kong after being stranded abroad for several months. A spokeswoman for Cathay Dragon said it was notified on Saturday night by health authorities in Hong Kong that five passengers on flight KA734 from Kuala Lumpur last Friday had the virus. “As a result of the Civil Aviation Department directive, we will suspend our passenger services between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong until October 3,” the airline said. The five Cathay passengers flew to Malaysia on an Air India Express service before connecting to Cathay Dragon. Authorities in Hong Kong, according to Cathay, said the affected passengers’ documents complied with strict health rules. As well as sending the affected aircraft for deep cleaning, the airline said it was trying to trace people who were in close contact with the passengers on board.<br/>