As a part of India’s massive repatriation drive, Vande Bharat Mission, Air India has announced to operate repatriation flights from Australia.
The Indian High Commission in Canberra says, “Government of India has decided to facilitate the return of stranded Indian nationals from Australia in a phased manner.”
Initially, the national carrier Air India will operate seven flights, with three from Sydney and four from Melbourne starting from May 21 to May 28, 2020.
The schedule involves repatriation operations on routes: Sydney-New Delhi; Melbourne-Amritsar; Sydney-Amritsar; Melbourne-Bengaluru; Sydney-Ahmedabad; Melbourne-Cochin and Melbourne-Hyderabad. Full schedule and details here.
“The High Commission will intimate by email the shortlisted passengers for the above flights. If the shortlisted passenger wishes to proceed further, they may immediately contact Air India (Australia),” the High Commission said in a statement.
Here’s the checklist before you book on these flights:
- Passengers are responsible for the entire travel cost.
- Passengers with the most compelling cases will be given priority.
- All passengers will be required to undergo medical screening at the time of boarding the flight, and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to travel.
- Those flying in to India will be quarantined for 14 days.
- In addition, travellers need to sign and submit an “undertaking cum identity bond” before boarding, confirming their readiness to follow instructions of the relevant authorities and their consent to be repatriated.airindia.in
