Air India Delhi-Moscow Flight Returns As Pilot Found Covid-19 Positive

An Air India’s Delhi-Moscow Airbus A-320 Neo flight was forced to return midway after ground team has realized that the pilot was covid-19 positive.

According to the Air India ground team, there was an error in the pre-flight test report, which was read as negative initially.

The pilot reportedly took ill during the flight and was called back.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating this case. “Prima facie it appears to be a lapse,” A senior DGCA official said.

“When the A320 plane, which did not have any passengers as it was heading to Moscow to bring back stranded Indians under Vande Bharat Mission, had reached Uzbekistan’s airspace, our team on ground realised that one of the pilots had tested Covid-19 positive,” a senior Air India official said.

Air India conducts at least 200 coronavirus tests a day in Delhi alone for all its crew ahead of all flights that they operate. The results of these tests are centrally processed by the airline.

The Air India plane took off from Delhi after 7 am today and returned to the national capital at 12:30 pm, sources said.

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