Hong Kong Suspends Air India Flights

Hong Kong&rsquos Civil Aviation Department has temporarily suspended national carrier Air India from operating flights to its airport till October 3,&nbspafter passengers on-board travelling to the area tested COVID-19 positive. The carrier&rsquos services will now remain suspended for a fortnight up to October 3.

This is the second such instance of Hong Kong suspending Air India services. Earlier, it was asked to stop operations for carrying too many passengers infected with COVID-19 which was valid till&nbspAugust 31.

The move comes as the Hong Kong government strengthened its regulations for airlines carrying COVID-19 positive passengers, in September. 

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However, a senior official at Air India said that the airline will write to Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department to reconsider its decision.

"Hong Kong civil aviation authority has advised AI not to operate for two weeks from September 20 to October 3, there is only one flight scheduled in two weeks &ndash Delhi to Hong Kong, on September 21. That flight is cancelled, and passengers have been informed," the official said

The ban comes just days after the Dubai civil aviation authorities suspended Air India Express&rsquo operations for a fortnight from September 18 to October 2, after the Indian airline allegedly carried a passenger who had tested positive for coronavirus.

However, the suspension was revoked by the Dubai authority later.

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India current has the second largest number of COVID-19 infected patients in the world, following the United States of America. The country's total tally stands at over 54 lakh, with 10.1 lakh active cases, according to data released by the Health Ministry.