Held for more than 12 hours: UK returnees create ruckus at Delhi airport

New Delhi, Jan 09: After India-UK flights resumed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that travellers coming from the UK to the national capital will have to undergo a seven-day institutional quarantine and a seven-day home quarantine even if they test negative for COVID-19 on arrival curb the spread of the new strain of Coronavirus, which emerged from the UK.

Air India's AI112 flight from London landed at the Delhi airport at around 10.30 AM on Friday returned with 256 passengers, which was the only UK flight scheduled for the day.

Around midnight Friday a tense 34-second video emerged from the airport - where all passengers have been held since their flight landed in morning amid fury over what they say is confusion created by last-minute changes to Covid testing and isolation rules.

Sources said there were heated arguments between the passengers and security personnel who were present at the airport.

According to a PTI report, a passenger of the flight, named Harpreet Takkar, tagged Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Twitter and said, "Just came from London AI112, it's absolutely maniac at Delhi Airport. Asking us to go for institutional quarantine even with a Negative PCR test. Didn't mention this on your SOP (standard operating procedure)."

Similarly, another passenger, Mohit Wadhwa, tagged Kejriwal on Twitter and said, "I am one of the passengers of flight AI112 from London with my 2 months old son. You locked every one of us."

The video that emerged Friday night showed a crowd of angry passengers gathered around a desk staffed by police and airport officials. Over the shouting and screaming born of frustration a man's voice can be heard: "We cannot take this bullshit anymore".

Another passenger - a woman - can be heard saying: "I want (unclear) right now".

A third voice - another man - can be heard saying: "She is just one-year-old (referring to his child). She cannot take this anymore".

However, Air India claimed on Twitter on Friday evening that it had informed the flight's passengers about the new advisory of the Delhi government before the plane took off from the Heathrow airport last night.