BENGALURU/RAIPUR: A group of 13 passengers, including three Bengalureans were made to return from Raipur airport in Chattisgarh to the airports they boarded from as they did not have a Covid- 19 report with them. The passengers had boarded their respective flights from Bengaluru, Hyderabad and New Delhi. The incident occurred on Wednesday. The passengers had boarded an IndiGo flight which left Bengaluru at 10.25 am. Airport sources said that due to the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, Chattisgarh had made it mandatory for all flyers to carry a Covid report from May 4.
Earlier, Raipur airport did have a facility to conduct tests for passengers, but that has been stopped, another source said. A source in Raipur said, “The three passengers from Bengaluru and two who boarded en route in Hyderabad, did not carry a certificate.
The others too did not carry certificates. They were all sent back.” “On account of the surge in cases in Chattisgarh this week, the airport authorities are very strict. The passengers have all reached their respective airports from where they boarded,” he added. IndiGo refused to release any details of the incident involving its passengers.
“We send SMS alerts to passengers on the requirements at their destination airports,” the spokesperson said. DGCA Director General Arun Kumar told TNIE that the airport health officer, appointed by the Ministry of Health, was responsible for checking the health status of passengers.