IndiGo grounds Chennai-Coimbatore flight crew after passenger tests positive for coronavirus

IndiGo on Tuesday said it has grounded the crew that operated the flight from Chennai-Coimbatore on Monday after one of the passengers tested positive for coronavirus.

The development assumes significance as this is possibly the first case of a passenger on-board being detected coronavirus positive after domestic flights resumed services on Monday.

In a statement, IndiGo said that a passenger who travelled on 6E 381 from Chennai to Coimbatore on May 25 evening has tested positive for COVID-19.

He is currently quarantined at ESI state medical facility at Coimbatore.

"All our aircraft are regularly sanitised as a standard operating procedure, and the aircraft operating this flight was also immediately disinfected as per protocol.

"The operating crew has been grounded for 14 days and we are in the process of notifying other passengers as per the government guidelines, to ensure safety of our passengers and staff," the statement said.

The airline said it has received confirmation from the Coimbatore airport doctor that the passenger tested positive for coronavirus.

"He was seated on-board the aircraft with all precautionary measures including face mask, face shield and gloves, as were the other passengers," it said, adding that no one else was seated in his vicinity, significantly reducing the possibility of transmission.