An Air India Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-EXR performing positioning flight AI-1945 from Delhi (India) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia), was enroute at FL380 about 160nm northnorthwest of Samarkand (Uzbekistan) when the crew turned the aircraft around and returned to Delhi where the aircraft landed safely about 2:40 hours later.
The aircraft was positioning to Moscow to repatriate 143 Indian Citizens, who had become stuck in Russia due to the Corona Pandemic. The crew had undergone Covid-19 tests prior to departing for the flight.
Air India confirmed that the aircraft returned to Delhi after it was discovered one of the pilots had tested positive. The entire crew was isolated. A replacement aircraft flown by another crew was dispatched to Moscow.
Officials reported the test results were initially and erroneously read as negative, the error was later discovered and the aircraft called back to Delhi.
India's embassy to Russia reported as result of a "technical problem" the departure of the repatriation flight would be delayed by 10:15 hours and later confirmed the replacement aircraft departed Moscow with all 143 passengers on board.
A replacement A20N registration VT-EXQ positioned to Moscow, departed for the repatriation flight AI-1946 from Moscow to Delhi and arrived in Delhi with a delay of about 10 hours.
The occurrence aircraft VT-EXR is still on the ground in Delhi about 33 hours after landing back.