India
The Hong Kong authorities have cited restrictions placed due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, as a reason.
Updated : Aug 18, 2020, 01:42 PM IST
Hong Kong executive authorities have now banned Air India from carrying out the 'Vande Bharat' repatriation mission flights in the region for a period of two weeks. As a reason, the Hong Kong authorities have cited restrictions placed due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak.
Air India's Vande Bharat Mission flights to and from Hong Kong banned by Hong Kong authorities due to #COVID19 related issues.
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2020
Due to the ban order, Air India cancelled its Delhi to Hong Kong to and fro flight, scheduled for the 'Vande Bharat' repatriation mission.
#FlyAI : #ImportantUpdate
— Air India (@airindiain) August 17, 2020
Due to restrictions imposed by Hong Kong Authorities,
AI 310/315, Delhi - Hong Kong - Delhi of 18th August 2020 stands postponed. Next update in this regard will be intimated soon. Passengers may please contact Air India Customer Care for assistance.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. Its principal officials are nominated and appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
The move is expected to hit the thousands of Hong Kong-bound passengers stranded in Delhi amid the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, whose only hope was the Air India 'Vande Bharat' repatriation mission to take them to their native city.
According to reports, the Chinese government had found eleven COVID-19 positive cases on Air India's Delhi-Hong Kong flight on August 14. The recent move to ban the Air India flights presumably comes as a follow-up to that.