El Salvador fined Spirit Airlines for boarding a passenger with a positive result on the Covid-19 PCR test, the country’s director general for the Office of Migration and Foreign Affairs, Ricardo Cucalon, Said Monday.
The flight was Thursday from Houston to San Salvador.
Cucalon was fined Spirit by local media on Monday for about $ 6,000.
‘I call on the airline to resolve the issue. A fine of $ 6,000 does not solve it. “The issue is the risk to which countless people are exposed,” Cucalon said.
About 58 passengers traveling on the same flight have also been notified by the country’s health ministry, as it is up to them to determine the best way to limit the possible spread of the virus.
What happened: A Honduran citizen was allowed to board a flight from Houston, Texas, to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, on Thursday, where migration officials discovered the passenger may travel with a positive PCR test result for Covid-19 .
Spirit Airlines told CNN on Saturday that it was investigating how the passenger was able to board the plane, “despite having passed the checks” and that he would take the necessary measures. The airline confirmed that they have protocols to meet the requirements of each country they travel to.
El Salvador requires all passengers traveling to the country to take a negative PCR test within 72 hours before traveling.
The country resumed international flights in September after shutting down for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic.