Repatriation Of Indians Stranded Abroad To Begin From May 7; Approx. Rs 50K Air Ticket From London, Rs 1 Lakh From US

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the government will commence the first phase of the rescue operation from May 7 to May 13. Under the Phase-I of the operation, as many as 64 flights will be operated and send to 12 different countries to bring stranded Indians.

Atlanta: Delta jets remained parked along a runway and taxiways at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, in Atlanta, after Delta Air Lines slashed flights and grounded more than 600 planes due to the coronavirus pandemic. AP/PTI

Cornavirus in India: The Central Government on Tuesday announced its plan to rescue Indian nationals stranded in foerign countries due to the novel Coronavirus. Addressing the media, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the government will commence the first phase of the rescue operation from May 7 to May 13. Under the Phase-I of the operation, as many as 64 flights will be operated and send to 12 different countries to bring stranded Indians. These include - 10 flights to UAE-, 2 flights to Qatar, 5 flights to Saudi Arabia, 7 flights to UK, 5 flights to Singapore, 7 flights to United States, 5 flights to Philippines, 7 flights to Bangladesh, 2 flights to Bahrain, 7 flights to Malaysia, 5 flights to Kuwait, and 2 flights to Oman. Speaking further at the press conference, Hardeep Singh said that the rates fixed for the journey will be Rs 50,000 for London-Mumbai, similarly for London to Ahmedabad, London to Bengaluru and London to Delhi. For Chicago-Delhi-Hyderabad the rough cost will be about Rs 1 lakh. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor in a statement announced that the first two special flights that will operate from Thursday to evacuate Indians stranded in the UAE will begin with applicants from Kerala, who formed the majority of the expatriates who have registered to be repatriated. A total of 200,000 expatriates have registered so far to travel back to India. "The missions have prioritised the list of passengers and have given it to Air India. We would call and email each passenger to contact Air India to get their tickets issued. The first two flights on Thursday would be to Kerala, considering the high number of applicants from the state, Kapoor was quoted as saying by the Gulf News. Kapoor said the priority list includes blue collar workers in distress, people with medical emergencies, including the elderly and pregnant women, and those who have lost jobs. The passenger list for the two flights -- Abu Dhabi to Kochi and Dubai to Kozhikode -- will be finalised by the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, and the Consulate General of India, Dubai, the Indian Consulate in Dubai announced on Monday. The list will be made on the basis of registrations in the Embassy or Consulate database which was launched for this purpose a few days back, it added. Meanwhile, air tickets for repatriation flights to India will not be exorbitantly priced, an official source was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times on Tuesday.