289 passengers of a Dubai-bound Emirates flight were offloaded at the Kochi airport in Kerala today shortly before takeoff after a British national among them tested positive for novel coronavirus, Kochi airport officials said.

All the passengers are being taken to hospital for screenings and medical check-ups.

The man had boarded the flight along with his group of 18 others who were holidaying in the hill station of Munnar in Kerala and was under surveillance, a Cochin International Airport Limited spokesman said.

He allegedly did not inform informing authorities in Munnar while leaving the hotel where he was under quarantine  and reached Kochi airport. The 18 others too are foreign nationals, according to  airport officials.

He was tracked down to the airport by health officials after his test results showed that he was coronavirus-positive, Kochi airport authorities said.

Firstly, it was decided to offload all 19 passengers of his group, an officer said.

"Now, it is decided to offload the remaining 270 pax (passengers) also and send them to hospital for further investigation", the spokesperson said.