Arrival of passengers with Covid-19 on flights from India leads to ban on two airlines

The arrival of coronavirus-infected passengers on flights from India remains a concern for other countries at a time when the Indian government is attempting to augment international air passenger traffic through bilateral travel bubbles. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia, a key destination for Indian migrant workers, suspended air travel to and from India amid concerns of potential imported cases. This development comes after two airlines - Air India and Air India Express - were handed temporary bans last week by the authorities in Hong Kong and Dubai for flying in Covid-19 positive passengers to these two cities. Hong Kong barred Air India for a fortnight until Oct 3, after one of its flights to the city on Sept 18 carried six infected passengers. The Hong Kong government strengthened regulations this month stipulating that any airline that carries five or more Covid-19 passengers on a flight would be banned from flying to the city. Such a ban would also apply if it operates two consecutive flights with three or more diagnosed passengers. This is the second time the authorities in Hong Kong have banned Air India. A similar two-week suspension order was handed out to the airline last month, after it flew 14 Covid-19 positive passengers to the city on Aug 11. An Air India spokesman told The Straits Times that the airline has been "strictly adhering" to all passenger screening requirements for flights to international destinations and that, wherever applicable, only passengers with Covid-negative reports are allowed on board.<br/>