Covid-19: 5 Air India pilots test positive, had flown cargo planes to China

Five Air India pilots, who had undertaken cargo flights to China, have tested positive for coronavirus during the pre-flight Covid-19 test.

Sources in the national carrier told ANI that all five pilots are currently asymptomatic and are based in Mumbai.

The pre-flight Covid-19 test is carried out 72 hours before the pilots are rostered for flight duties.

"All of them are asymptomatic and based in Mumbai. They had undertaken cargo flights to Guangzhou, China," sources said.

Covid-19: First evacuation flight with 326 Indians lands in Mumbai from UK

Air India's first evacuation flight with 326 Indians from London landed at Mumbai Airport on Sunday.

According to Indian high commission in the UK, the flight took off from London on Saturday on board 326 people. It landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

On Monday, India announced had that it will begin phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7.

The government said that Air India will operate 64 flights in the first week from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals.

On day three of the 'Vande Bharat Mission', flights carrying Indians from the Gulf countries, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Malaysia arrived in India.