Pilots of an AirAsia Pune-Delhi flight chose to use the plane’s secondary gate to exit after a few passengers were feared to be infected with COVID-19.
As a precautionary measure, the flight crew has isolated themselves for 14 days. The incident happened at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 20.
YouTube
The video shows, one pilot stands on top of the set of stairs as the other passes luggage through the open window.
Then a pilot can be seen climbing through the window and carefully stepping out onto the stairs placed alongside the aircraft
“There was a case reported of suspected COVID-19 passengers aboard I5-732, Pune to New Delhi on March 20, seated in Row 1. The passengers were subsequently screened and tested negative,” an AirAsia India spokesperson said.
“As a safety measure after landing, the aircraft was parked at a remote bay and the suspected passengers disembarked from the front door. All other passengers, escorted by the crew, disembarked from the rear door of the aircraft,” the spokesperson said.
The Spokesperson further said, “The crew in the cockpit self-quarantined till the cabin environment near the primary exit was ascertained to be safe. The Captain elected to disembark from the secondary exit using a secure trestle, given the close proximity of the seats from the cockpit. The aircraft was fumigated and thorough disinfection and deep cleaning were carried out.”
“Our crew are well trained for incidents of this nature and we would like to put on record our appreciation for their dedication in continuing to serve passengers with the utmost care in the current conditions,” the Spokesperson added.
All domestic flights have stopped operations from midnight on March 24th as India fights the spread of coronavirus.
Ahead of the flight ban, photos shared on Twitter showed planes parked on a runway at the Delhi airport.
International flights had already been banned last week to reduce transmission from foreign countries as coronavirus cases escalated in the country.
Yesterday, the government decided to cancel all flights, a demand by Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar. All trains, metros and inter-state buses have also been stopped and almost all of India has come under total lockdown.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The restrictions came into force at midnight local time (18:30 GMT) and will be enforced for 21 days.
“There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Mr Modi said in a televised address.
He appealed for people not to panic – but crowds quickly mobbed stores in the capital, Delhi, and other cities.” India has close to 536 coronavirus cases; 11 people have died so far.
Nearly 400,000 people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, and around 17,000 have died.