India News | 19 Ground Staff of AI Have Succumbed to COVID-19 and Other Complications: Puri

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) A total of 1,995 personnel of Air India have tested positive for coronavirus till February 1 and its 19 ground staff have "succumbed due to COVID-19 and other complications", said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

"A total of 1995 personnel of Air India, including the crew deployed on Vande Bharat Mission tested positive for COVID-19 till February 2, 2021, out of which 583 personnel were hospitalized," Puri said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

"There have been no fatalities among the crew. However, 19 ground staff succumbed due to COVID -19 and other complications," he added.

Air India has been operating special international flights under the Vande Bharat Mission since May last year to help stranded people reach their destinations amid the coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

"The COVID-19 test for the crew is undertaken as per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the medical department of Air India, which is based on the advisory/guidelines issued by the Government from time to time," Puri said.

"Air India covers its crew for any medical emergencies (including COVID-19) on duty/layover," he added. 

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating since May under the Vande Bharat Mission and since July under air bubble arrangements formed with various countries.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)