AI Express asked not to fly people with Covid negative reports from certain labs to Dubai – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In a move that raises critical question on the quality of Covid tests being conducted by some labs, Dubai aviation authorities have asked Air India Express not to fly passengers with a negative report from some such places to the UAE.
In a tweet, AI’s budget arm said: “Regulatory authorities in Dubai have recommended AI Express to reject RT-PCR test reports from” a lab in Kerala, two in Delhi and a chain of labs in Kerala.

All passengers travelling to Dubai from any destination need to have a printed negative PCR test certificate to be accepted on the flight from a test conducted maximum 96 hours before departure. The only exception to this rule are children under 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability.
About testing labs, Emirates website says UAE has specified designated laboratories. “If you are flying from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, you must get your certificate from one of the labs listed in the designated laboratories document to be accepted on the flight,” it says.
Earlier this month, Dubai aviation authorities had decided to suspend AI Express operations to the city for 15 days after the budget airline twice flew passengers with Covid positive reports there from India. Following an apology from AI Express and assurance that the same will not happen again, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority revoked this suspension.