After 12 out of 91 passengers onboard Qatar Airways flight QR203 from Doha to Athens tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19, Greece temporarily banned all flights from Qatar.
Qatar Airways flight QR203 arrived at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH) in Greece from Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH), Qatar, on June 1, 2020. There were 91 passengers onboard the airlines’ Airbus A350-900 (registration number A7-ALW).
Performing a planned COVID-19 screening, Greek officials found twelve passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus, the country’s Civil Protection Ministry announced on June 2, 2020.
Due to the findings, Greece announced a suspension of flights to and from Qatar for two weeks.
“We also announce that after the above epidemiological data, flights to and from Qatar will be suspended until June 15, 2020,” the ministry’s statement read.
Among the infected passengers onboard QR203, there were nine Pakistani, two Greek and one Japanese national. The passengers who tested positive for the virus arrived in Doha on connecting flights, according to the airline. “Upon arrival in Doha and before boarding the flight to Athens, all passengers were screened and tested according to the procedures and established health protocols and were found suitable to continue their journey,” Qatar Airlines spokesperson is cited as saying by the Greek City Times.
All passengers were transported to quarantine hotels, where those who tested positive would remain for 14 days. People who have tested negative for coronavirus would have to remain in quarantine for seven days, at which point the coronavirus test would be repeated, the ministry explained.
Following the news, rumours on social media indicated that Qatar Airways halted flights to Pakistan. However, the airline’s website still lists Pakistan as one of the directions to where service is ongoing and allows ticket bookings to the country.
Despite the reported flight restrictions, Qatar Airways seemingly operated another QR203 flight between Doha and Athens on June 3, 2020, flightradar24.com and flightaware.com data indicate. The airline’s website also indicates that the flight scheduled for June 5th and 8th are not yet cancelled.