TORONTI: According to data issued by Health Canada, flights from New Delhi to Toronto are bringing in the largest number of international passengers testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
As many as 30 Covid-infected flights from Delhi have landed in Canada since March 4 - nine in Vancouver and 21 in Toronto.
There are two daily flights between the two cities, operated by Air India and Air Canada. The period from March 3-19 shows that almost all the New Delhi-Toronto flights carried Covid-positive passengers. Passengers in the three-row range of each Covid-positive person on the flight are deemed as impacted.
Among the 21 flights landing in Toronto, 14 flights showed a minimum of six infected rows. The remaining seven flights had an unknown number of impacted rows. The two most-heavily infected flights from Delhi landed in Toronto on March 9 and 13.
The entire business-class and premium economy cabins on the Air Canada Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Delhi on March 9 were reported to be affected. Except for eight rows, the economy class was also infected.
On March 13, the Air India flight landed with 22 out of 35 rows of its economy class infected.
In all, 106 Covid-infected flights have landed in Canada from various international destinations since March 4, making Indian-origin flights the biggest source of Covid-positive passengers. Air travelers must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding Canada-bound flights.
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