Flights from India: Minister says they carried cargo, no passengers
Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has clarified that the four Malaysia Airlines flights from India which landed in Malaysia after a travel ban were not carrying any passengers.
Instead, he said they were carrying cargo and the crew was not allowed to disembark.
He was responding to viral claims on social media which alleged that...
Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has clarified that the four Malaysia Airlines flights from India which landed in Malaysia after a travel ban were not carrying any passengers.
Instead, he said they were carrying cargo and the crew was not allowed to disembark.
He was responding to viral claims on social media which alleged that the flights from India had been allowed despite an enforced travel ban from the country.
The ban on flights from India was imposed on April 28 after India continuously recorded the world's highest daily Covid-19 cases at more than 300,000 a day, spurred by the more dangerous B.1.617 variant.
The MH-designated flights going viral on social media are all cargo-only flights.
"Flights on passenger aircraft are also empty of people and are used to carry freight comprising pharmaceutical goods, medical supplies, mobile phones, electrical components, and courier packages," Wee said on Facebook today.
Malaysia Airlines likewise confirmed that the passenger aircraft were used to carry cargo only.
"The flight did not carry any passengers other than the flight crew who remained onboard during transit. As further precaution, the airline also did not allow any ground maintenance personnel in India to enter its aircraft," it stated.
The flights involved were MH191 from New Delhi, MH193 from Bengaluru, MH195 from Mumbai, and MH181 from Chennai.
The airline said it has lodged police reports against two individuals over the claims.
Wee explained that the conversion of passenger flights into cargo flights has become common practice during the pandemic.
The Ayer Hitam MP said he also confirmed the matter with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (Caam), MAS Kargo, and also the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
In a separate Facebook post later, Wee added that contrary to the viral claims on social media, no private company had been hired to ferry anyone to quarantine centres. Instead, all matters relating to this are handled by the National Disaster Management Agency.
The viral message was circulated amid the Health Ministry's confirmation yesterday that it had detected the first Covid-19 case in the country involving the B.1.167 strain.
The mutated Sars-CoV-2 virus was detected in an Indian citizen who arrived from abroad.
Wee clarified that the case was detected before the ban on flights from India was imposed.
"A check with Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also verified that a case of an Indian foreign worker with a valid pass entering Malaysia occurred much earlier on April 10.
"Take care not to conflate these two dates which were separate events," he added.
Wee reiterated that non-Malaysians from India will not be allowed to enter Malaysia, even for transit.
He said exemptions may be made for Malaysians or their non-Malaysian spouses trying to return home from India.
However, he added that they must undergo a 14-day isolation period at a designated quarantine centre.
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