Muscat: The Indian embassy in Oman has announced flights from Muscat and Salalah in August in Phase 5 of the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM).
The schedule lists flights to Kochi on August 7, 8, 14 and 15, to Delhi on August 7, 9 and 14, with the flight on August 14 originating from Salalah via Muscat. There are flights to Mumbai on August 8 and 15, to Thiruvananthapuram on August 8 and 14, Kannur on August 6, Bangalore and Mangalore served by the same flight on August 10, Tiruchirapalli on August 10, Calicut on August 10, Hyderabad on August 11, Chennai on August 11, Lucknow on August 12 and Vijayawada on August 13. Changes, if any, on these flights will be announced subsequently by the Indian Embassy.
As done with previous VBM flights, the passenger lists for all the flights will be finalised by the Embassy on the basis of information received by it. The Embassy will be floating an online form for seeking confirmation of passengers to travel on any particular flight and then share the list with Air India. The passengers will be contacted by the airline directly for booking tickets. After registering online the passengers may also contact the Air India offices directly. However priority like in earlier flights, will be given to those with medical emergencies, those in distress, senior citizens, pregnant women, as well as other Indian citizens who are in difficult situations. The cost of the ticket will have to be borne by the passengers, who are also required to confirm acceptance of all conditions of travel, including quarantine requirements in India, as well as health requirements to board the flights.
Talking exclusively to Gulf News, Dr Satish Nambiar, Chairman of Indian Social Club and a longtime resident of Oman who has been involved in a number of humanitarian work in aid of both Indian and Omani communities in Oman, said that the Vande Bharat flights are a blessing for the Indian expatriates who are waiting to reach back home. “VBM flights are an affordable option for those Indians who are surviving with bare minimum and no salary. These flights go beyond the conventional or known city airports and ply the length and breadth of India helping Indians here hailing from interior Indian towns and villages,” Dr Nambiar said.
