Highlights
- Seven repatriation flights arranged by the Indian government
- Flights to depart from Sydney and Melbourne
- Thousands on temporary visas want to return to India.
Three flights will leave from Sydney and four from Melbourne between May 21 and 28, the Indian High Commission in Canberra has announced.
“As part of the historic Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian nationals stranded abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic, Government of India has decided to facilitate the return of stranded Indian nationals from Australia in a phased manner,” the HCI said.
The first phase includes flights to New Delhi, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Cochin and Hyderabad.
Source: High Commission of India
How to book tickets?
The passengers will be shortlisted by the Indian authorities.
‘The number of seats on the flights are limited. Passengers with the most compelling cases are being given priority,’ the HCI has said.
The High Commission has said they will intimate the shortlisted passengers for the above flights by email.
‘If the shortlisted passenger wishes to proceed further, they may immediately contact Air India (Australia). The details of the shortlisted passengers will also be shared with the Air India office, which will also contact them regarding the booking of tickets.
‘If the shortlisted passenger fails to purchase the ticket within 24 hrs of intimation by the Mission, his/her seat will be allotted to the next waitlisted passenger.
‘The cost of travel from the designated airport in Australia to the designated airport in India is to be borne by the passenger.’
Passengers will have to pay between $1670 to $1770 for economy one-way and $4110 to $4310 for business one-way with options available for those who have Air India flight credit.
There is also provision for current Air India ticket holders.
Source: Indian High Commission
All passengers on arrival in India will be medically screened and would have to download and register on Arogya Setu app.
All passengers will need to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine on arrival in India in quarantine facilities as per the protocols framed by Government of India.
Thousands waiting to return to India
The Consul General of Melbourne, Mr Raj Kumar told SBS Hindi that majority of the Indians stuck in Australia are in Melbourne.
“Most of the people who have registered with us and have said they wish to return to India, are in Melbourne,” Mr Kumar said.
“The flights have been announced and we are now working to facilitate their return,” he said.
Aparna Rani, an international student in Melbourne is happy the repatriation flights have finally been announced. Her father, Kulbir Singh who arrived in Melbourne in March is keen to return to India.
“My father’s tourist visa is ending soon. He was due to fly back on May 11, but his flight got cancelled. He also has diabetes, and he is keen to return home [Haryana],” Ms Rani told SBS Hindi.
"I am glad the flights have been announced. I hope they are not too expensive."
Hundreds of Indian citizens living in Australia on temporary visas are desperate to return to India.
Sydney-based Ram Tiwari who lost his job said he was struggling financially.
"I am not able to pay my rent. I am using the bond money to pay the rent for some time. But how long will that go? I have no source of income. My savings are going away too.”
An Indian international student, Anushka Singh had booked her flight back to India after she lost her retail job and her classes moved online but India closed its border, and she could not leave.
“Many had booked their flight to India soon after the regular classes were shifted to online classes. We were waiting for that, and now we can go back home and study online too,” she says.
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India has announced a mega repatriation operation to bring back Indians stranded abroad. In phase one of the operation, 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 brought back almost 15,000 Indians from 12 countries on a payment basis.
India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 74,000 people and killed around 2,400 people in the country till now.
All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the lockdown period.
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