Taiwanese carrier EVA Air suspends its Taipei-Chicago flights until September 18, 2021, after three of the airline’s pilots tested positive for COVID-19.
On September 4, 2021, local media reported that EVA Air had sacked one of the pilots for breaking the airline’s self-monitoring protocols and failing to provide correct information about his health.
The Central News Agency reports that the pilot flew to Chicago on August 26, 2021, and upon arriving, broke EVA Air’s self-health monitoring rules and went out to dine with friends in a crowded area. The pilot then allegedly proceeded to provide misleading information prior to flying out to Brisbane on August 30, 2021.
As all three COVID-positive pilots had flown to Chicago, EVA Air made the decision to put a hold on its Chicago flights until September 18, 2021. On its website, EVA Air posted its guidelines and rules regarding tickets affected by the cancellation of its Chicago route.
Taiwan, which has managed to put COVID-19 under relative control, has gone under renewed alert due to the incident and is considering putting flight crew under tighter quarantine rules.