SpiceHealth, AAI pass the buck on erroneous COVID-19 testing at Amritsar airport

SpiceHealth and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are putting the onus on each other for the "contamination" of COVID-19 testing machines at the Amritsar airport that led to approximately 64% of passengers on two international flights falsely testing positive on their arrival in January.

SpiceHealth, which was then operating in the airport's arrival area, had on January 6 and 7, 2022 tested 469 passengers who arrived on two charter flights from Rome and found 298 of them to be COVID-19-positive. This led to turmoil at the airport as passengers started protesting against the test results.

SpiceHealth — which is owned by SpiceJet's promoters Avani Singh and Ajay Singh — told PTI that it conducted an investigation in the matter with the testing machine manufacturer 'Thermofisher Accula' and found that the testing machines got contaminated as they were kept in an open space in the arrival section of the Amritsar airport.

SpiceHealth then informed the AAI about these findings and "advised that the docks (machines) be protected and test performed in a covered space and not directly exposed to conditions favouring contamination", it said.

However, the Centre-run AAI, which owns and runs the Amritsar airport, told PTI that it does not agree with SpiceHealth's assessment on this matter.

The AAI said the site for setting up of registration counters, sampling and testing facility was chosen by SpiceHealth, and the arrangements for the set-up of machines were made by the company only.

“The issue of space and environment was not raised by SpiceHealth after January 6 (first day of the incident) and January 7 (second day of the incident),” the AAI noted.