An Air India flight on April 27 was forced to depart from Sydney without passengers after one of the crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
“All crew members rostered to operate the flight underwent an RT-PCR test before departure from Delhi. They were permitted to operate the flight only after a negative test report. On arriving at Sydney, crew members had to undergo the test again and one member tested positive, who is under quarantine in Sydney,” an airline source said.
As a result, the Australian authorities barred the flight from carrying passengers and it had to return with only cargo and the remaining crew members.
Air India flies only one flight per week to Australia, which is also the only direct flight between the two countries.