Moscow-bound plane called back after pilot tests positive for COVID-19

An Air India scheduled to land in Moscow on Saturday was called back after one of its pilots tested positive for COVID-19, local media reports said.

The VT-EXR Air India flight on its way to Moscow from Delhi to bring back stranded Indians was immediately asked to return as per the protocol.

Since it was a ferry flight, reports said only the crew was on board.

A local media report, quoting sources, said the plane was somewhere near Uzbekistan when it was asked to return.

“Sources said it was a genuine oversight as the pilot’s COVID-19 positive report was misread as negative in pre-flight checks,’’ local TV channel News18 said.

“It is believed to be a human error and as soon as it was realised, it was rectified.’’

Soon after the aircraft landed in Delhi, it was deep-cleaned and sanitised as per protocol.

“The infected pilot and the rest of the crew have been quarantined,’’ the channel said.

India on Saturday reported 7,964 COVID-19 new cases, so far the highest single-day spike, during the last 24 hours, pushing infection tally across the country to 173,763.

Saturday marks the 67th straight day of an ongoing lockdown across the country announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the spread of the pandemic. (Xinhua/NAN)

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

Apple Music Appoints Florence Otedola (Aka) DJ Cuppy Its First Radio Show Host In Africa
The biggest company in the world, Apple Music, is launching its first radio show in Africa on Sunday and DJ Cuppy whose real name is Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola is its host. The streaming platform announced Thursday that “Africa Now Radio with Cuppy” will debut Sunday and will feature a mix of contemporary… Read full story

21 Years Of Civil Rule: Gains, Pains And Prospects
MOST Nigerians remain nostalgic about the epochal, extraordinary transformation that was heralded in the defunct Western Region of Nigeria in the First Republic under visionary and dynamic leadership. In just eight years of the pragmatic and purposeful leadership, imbued with vision, the region shocked the… Read full story

Economy: Many Miles Crossed, Many Miles Lie Ahead
Politics and economy are entangled. Politics determines the economic direction while the economy determines the strength of the polity. If the economy is ailing, so will be the polity and vice versa. But the interplay between politics and the economy is choreographed by politicians… Read full story

COVID-19: We’re Yet To Receive Promised Ventilators From US ― Minister
The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government is yet to receive the promised ventilators from the United States of America (USA). The minister said this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus (COVID-19) daily news conference… Read full story