COVID-19: More than 275,000 Indians in UAE who sought repatriation flown home
Plenty of seats open, more flights to be added in second half of August, consulate says
Dubai: Out of 500,000 Indians in the UAE who had registered for repatriation, more than 275,000 have so far gone home, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said on Sunday.
Most of the demand has been met, except on a few sectors, the consulate said in an advisory on repatriation flights.
“We feel that there might be some people who are stuck, and wish to go back to India, but they have not been able to do so due to lack of knowledge and means to get the tickets for their journey to India,” it added.
The consulate said “plenty of seats” are still open on Air India and Air India Express flights under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ (VBM) from Dubai and Sharjah to various cities in India.
Tickets for around 90 such flights, to destinations such as Kerala, Delhi, Amritsar and others, can be booked online till August 15, after which more flights will be announced till the month-end.
Besides these special flights, some UAE and Indian carriers (such as Emirates, FlyDubai, Spicejet and Indigo) have also planned almost 100 flights from Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah to various airports in India.
The consulate reiterated that UAE visit visa holders whose visas expired after March 1, should leave the UAE before the August 10 deadline to avoid fines. Those who cannot book tickets can write to a dedicated consulate e-helpline mentioned in the advisory, a copy of which was tweeted by the consulate on Sunday.