The Hindu : AI flights cancelled

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

AI flights cancelled

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 27. Air India today cancelled three scheduled flights to Abudhabi, Dubai and Muscat from the international airport following the pilot's stir caused by the refusal of the Indian Pilot's Guild to fly with cabin or cockpit crew who flew to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) affected countries in the last 10 days.

The flights cancelled today were the AI 996 Abudhabi-Muscat- Thiruvananthapuram-Mumbai, the AI 989 Mumbai-Thiruvananthapuram- Dubai and the AI 988 Abudhabi-Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram-Mumbai.

Instead, the airline operated a rescue flight from Dubai to the international airport to fly back the stranded passengers to Dubai and Abudhabi. The flight, which arrived from Dubai at 9-30 a.m. departed at 10-30 a.m., with 150 passengers bound for Dubai and Abudhabi. The airline made transportation arrangements from Dubai for those bound to Abu Dhabi, an AI official said.

The 30 passengers who had booked in the AI 988 Abudhabi-Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram-Mumbai flight that was cancelled today and had got stranded will be accommodated in the AI 922/921 Jumbo flight to be operated on Monday and sent to Mumbai.

Of the 30 passengers, 19 are bound to New York, four to London, one to Zurich, 3 three Dammam and two to Riyadh. The airline has accommodated some of the passengers in the city hotels tonight.

Meanwhile, no fresh cases of SARS have not been reported from the State. The Additional Director of Health Services (Public Health), in a release here said the two persons--S.L. Varghese and Somakandan-- who are suspected to have SARS were still under observation.

The N-95 facemasks specified by the World Health Organisation for those engaged in checking SARS arrived in the State for distribution, the release said.

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