A passenger travelling from Chennai to Coimbatore aboard low-cost carrier IndiGo has tested positive for coronavirus. The incident, which occurred on 25 May, comes on the evening that domestic flights resumed in India.
IndiGo said in a statement that the flight crew has been placed in isolation for 14 days, and all other travellers have been notified of the incident.
“The passenger was seated on-board the aircraft with all precautionary measures including face mask, face shield and gloves, as were the other passengers,” says the company. “Additionally, no one else was seated in his vicinity, significantly reducing the possibility of transmission.”
“All our aircraft are regularly sanitised as a standard operating procedure, and the aircraft operating this flight was also immediately disinfected as per protocol.
“The operating crew has been grounded for 14 days and we are in the process of notifying other passengers as per the government guidelines, to ensure safety of our passengers and staff.”
According to local media reports, the passenger has been placed into quarantine at ESI state medical facility in Coimbatore, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
On Monday, India resumed air travel across the country after grounding domestic services for two months, in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Individual Indian states have imposed varying biosecurity measures to ensure a smooth return domestic travel. Passengers arriving at airports in Tamil Nadu are subject to a 14-day self-isolation period if asymptomatic, and a state-run quarantine if testing positive for the virus.
So far, the planned return to service has been hampered by operational issues. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri reported 532 domestic flights carrying 39,231 passengers on Monday, out of a total of 1,100 expected.
