Dubai suspends AI Express flights for a day

Air India Express said its flights were suspended for 24 hours on Friday by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for bringing two passengers with Covid-positive certificates on August 28 and September 4.

According to the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India is required to bring an original Covid-negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

Earlier during the day, Air India Express said it had received a “notice of suspension” from the DCAA on September 17 to suspend its Dubai flights from September 18 to October 2 for carrying two passengers, who had Covidpositive certificates with them, on different flights.

Later, the airline issued another statement wherein it mentioned its flights to and from Dubai will operate as per the original schedule from September 19.

“A passenger, who had a Covid-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled

Air India Express had brought passengers with Covid-positive certificates twice during the last couple of weeks

on Air India Express’ Jaipurdubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline's other Dubai flights previously,” a government official said.

Last month, Air India passenger flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and August 31 after 14 passengers on its Delhi-hong Kong flight of August 14 tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival.