Humidity will increase by night and into Monday morning, with the possibility of fog formation
India's biggest repatriation effort 'Vande Bharat Mission' officially began on Thursday as 354 distressed citizens left for their homes on two separate Air India Express flights.
The flights flew from Abu Dhabi to Kochi and from Dubai to Kozhikode at 4.55pm and 5.47pm, respectively. Two flights will depart today from Dubai to Chennai. These too will be Air India Express flights with 177 passengers each.
Vipul said selecting passengers to fly on these special flights were a crucial exercise for the missions and Air India. "There were several workers who lost their jobs, distressed small business owners, 12 senior citizens and passengers who accompanied them."
Several of the travellers were over the age of 70. There were at least 20 medical cases and their accompanying passengers. "Three out of the 19 Indian citizens who have been stranded at Dubai airport since March was also in the flight," said Vipul. A few visit and tourist visa cases were also repatriated. However, one of the biggest challenges for the mission was the repatriation of pregnant women and those accompanying them.
He added: "We all have to understand this is a pandemic situation and airlines have to operate. These are not market prices and the tickets are fairly affordable. If there are people who are genuinely in need, especially destitute workers, we can arrange tickets from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF)."
Several community leaders and social workers were also active on site at the airport, assisting the consulate.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com , anjana@khaleejtimes.com
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