The crew of Finnair’s flight from Helsinki to Hong Kong was isolated on Sunday after the flight pilot was diagnosed with Covid-19 infection.
Three pilots and nine cabin crew members may have to spend several weeks in a state-run quarantine center. According to Finnair, the incident did not affect passengers.
According to the airline, the crew had not yet been officially quarantined. Finnair said it would work with the local authorities and the Finnish Consulate in Hong Kong to find out when the crew would leave.
Some of the crew are local, but the pilots operate in Helsinki.
Their Finnair plane was due to return to Finland on Monday, but the departure is questionable, as it was to be flown by the same crew.
The Hong Kong administration does not generally allow quarantined persons to leave during quarantine, even on otherwise empty aircraft.
Flights continue to operate normally
Flights from Finland to Hong Kong have been operating normally, although Hong Kong was one of the first countries outside South Africa to detect a new, more contagious variant of Omicron. According to the South China Morning Post, two cases appeared in the quarantine center last week.
British Airways suspended flights to Hong Kong on Sunday after several of its crew members were quarantined at a government center, the BBC reports.
On Sunday, Omicron cases were found in several other countries, including Denmark and Australia.
The Finnish authorities decided on Sunday to ban the majority of passengers who have been in South Africa for two weeks but have not yet been restricted to other countries where the new variant has emerged.
Source: The Nordic Page