AIASL asks 14 people to be in home-quarantine after woman staff tests positive for coronavirus

As many as 14 employees of Air India's ground handling subsidiary AI Airports Services (AIASL) have been asked to stay in home-quarantine for 14 days after a woman employee of the company tested positive for coronavirus and subsequently admitted to hospital, AIASL chief A K Sharma said on Monday.

The woman staff in her early 20s, who handled the last arriving flight of Air India at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on March 24, a day before all domestic services were suspended, was admitted to the BMC hospital in suburban western Jogeshwari suburb due to fever and breathing problem, a source had told PTI on Sunday.

"It is suspected that she contracted it (coronavirus infection) during the course of her duty. She had handled the last Air India flight which landed at Mumbai Airport on March 24. After consultation with doctors, we have asked 14 of our customer service agents, who were in contract with her during the duty, to stay in home-quarantine for 14 days " Sharma said.

AIASL, earlier known as Air India Air Transport Services (AIATSL), carries out ground handling services at 81 airports in the country.

Sharma said the woman employee had not performed any duty after March 24 even as the company continues to serve cargo airlines, and till Monday it handled not less 40 cargo, freighter and emergency relief services, including the ones operated by overseas cargo airlines.

Her family members have also been admitted in the BMC hospital, he said.