Dubai Int’l Airport warns NAC for carrying passengers with fake PCR reports

November 3, 2020, 04:11:46 PM |

KATHMANDU: Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), which is about to resume its service to Hong Kong from Wednesday after completing its suspension period, has again received another warning from Dubai International Airport which has threatened NAC that it could be banned from flying there.

The Dubai International Airport has sent a warning letter to NAC stating that its flights could be banned as it had carried passengers with fake PCR reports to the destination. The airport issued the warning to the national flag carrier saying that the corporation had been negligent regarding the coronavirus tests of passengers departing Nepal.

A few days ago, Dubai airport sent two letters to the corporation warning it that it could ban its service, informed Dim Prakash Poudel, managing director of NAC.

He mentioned that although the corporation carries only those passengers who furnish a negative PCR report from laboratories accredited by the Nepal government, some passengers have tested positive when they reach other countries.

Even though the laboratories have been providing negative PCR reports, people are testing positive abroad when they have to go through another PCR test. NAC is thus facing a major problem now with this issue.

Earlier too, the Hong Kong airport had suspended NAC’s service after some passengers tested positive for the coronavirus infection when they landed in the destination. The ban imposed by Hong Kong will be lifted only from Wednesday.

A few passengers who had tested negative in Nepal were found to be positive in Hong Kong on two occasions. As a result, Hong Kong suspended NAC’s service for the first time from October 4 to 17. Later, Hong Kong again suspended NAC’s service for the same reason from October 20 to November 3.

Due to this, the corporation has already suffered a loss of more than Rs 270 million in Hong Kong flights. If other airports too ban NAC’s flights due to passengers testing positive when they reach the destination then the corporation is likely to face a major loss.