China declines to admit any inbound passenger from India

The Air India aircraft flew from New Delhi to Guangzhou without any passenger onboard as China declined to admit anyone from India.

Beijing conveyed to New Delhi earlier that two Indians, who were on board an Air India special flight to Shanghai on June 21, were tested Covid-19 positive upon arrival and that was why it would now allow anyone from the country to enter China.

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Sources in New Delhi said that it was mutually agreed that the special Air India aircraft would not have any passenger onboard when it would fly to Guangzhou to bring back Indians.

The Air India operated the special flight from Guangzhou to New Delhi as part of the “Vande Bharat Mission” – the repatriation mission launched by the government to bring back citizens, who got stranded in foreign countries after the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the government to ban arrival of international passenger flights in the airports in India.

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The national carrier had on June 21 sent to Shanghai a special aircraft to bring back home Indians. The aircraft had about 100 people onboard when it flew from New Delhi and they included the officials of the Consulate General of India in Shanghai, executives of financial institutions in the city, and their families. Two of them tasted Covid-19 positive after arrival in Shanghai, while others who had come in contact with them were put in isolation.

It later flew back to New Delhi with 186 Indians, who were stranded in and around Shanghai.