NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India on Monday refused allegations that passengers of its Sydney-Delhi flight were stranded in the Australian city after the pilot was tested positive for Covid-19. It said that the pilot had earlier tested negative for the pandemic.
Officials said the pilot was tested on June 16 and was found negative and as per the rules, he was rostered for the Delhi-Sydney flight of June 20. Before the flight, his sample was taken again. He was found positive after landing the flight in Sydney,” officials said. Air India on June 20 was operating flight under Vande Bharat Mission. Officials said that the airline had no flight to Sydney on Sunday, so no one is stranded there. The crew operating Monday flight will take their mandatory rest and operate back. We have adhered to all the laid down protocols in this regard,” the spokesperson added.
Officials pilot and his two crew have been put in quarantine in Sydney and the cabin crew or passengers have not been quarantined as they did not get in touch with the pilot.According to the Air India protocol on pre-flight Covid-19 testing, the crew will be required to visit the designated venue for testing for the purpose of giving a sample up to five days prior to departure date. Since the pilot tested negative four days prior to departure of Delhi-Sydney flight of June 20, he was rostered to operate it. ens