'Vande Bharat' Mission: Hong Kong bans Air India flights over COVID-19 related issues
The Hong Kong authorities have cited restrictions placed due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, as a reason.
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.
Due to the ban order, Air India cancelled its Delhi to Hong Kong to and fro flight, scheduled for the 'Vande Bharat' repatriation mission.
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.