No RT-PCR report: 4 SpiceJet pilots spend 40 hours inside aircraft in Croatia before flying back to Delhi sans cargo or passengers

NEW DELHI: Four SpiceJet pilots had to spend almost 40 hours onboard the aircraft they operated from Delhi to Croatian capital Zagreb this Tuesday before flying the Boeing 737 back home. The reason: SpiceJet did not make them undergo the mandatory pre-flight RT-PCR test.
Since they landed in Croatia without the negative report, they were not allowed to get off the aircraft there. The two commanders and as many first officers had to spend their nearly 2-day layover inside the aircraft in Zagreb before flying the plane back to Delhi without any passengers or cargo.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has “admonished” the airline for this lapse. Comments from SpiceJet have been sought and are awaited.
“SpiceJet had operated flight SG-9035 on May 11 on Delhi-Tbilisi-Zagreb with two sets of pilots (meaning four pilots). As the crew had not undergone the mandatory RT-PCR test, Croatian authorities did not allow them to alight from the aircraft,” said people in the know.
The crew was then given the mandatory rest as per rules on board the aircraft. “However, this rest is not in a suitable environment as mandated by rules. SpiceJet then sought DGCA clearance to operate this aircraft in special conditions for mitigating this issue. Both the sets of pilots (a captain and a co-pilot making one set) operated the aircraft from Zagreb to Delhi. At all times, three pilots remained inside the cockpit. Given the circumstances, the aircraft was flown back from Zagreb without any passengers or crew,” said sources.

Pilots of Indian airlines are surprised at this alleged lapse by the airline. India is the world’s worst Covid hotspot at the moment. “Since the outbreak last year, people abroad are wary of those from hotspot countries — whether crew or passengers. Last year we used to be apprehensive of people from China and Europe as India was in a much better situation. Today India is witnessing a catastrophic outbreak of Covid and sending our crew members without the negative test report to foreign countries is unimaginable. We shudder to think what our colleagues would have felt spending almost two days on the plane in Zagreb,” said a senior Indian pilot.
Even with negative reports, airlines crew frequently face problems like getting quarantined abroad if any one of them test positive on arrival.