Last repatriation flight under ‘Vande Bharat’ second phase departs today

TDT | Manama

The last repatriation flight from Bahrain, under the second phase of the Indian government’s “Vande Bharat Mission”, is set to depart today at 2.10pm for the southern Indian city of Kozhikode. As of today, around 1,700 Indian expatriates would have travelled from the Kingdom since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Hopefully, we will be able to repatriate a considerable number of Indian nationals in the coming days too,” said Indian Embassy second secretary PK Choudhary while speaking to TDT. When asked about ongoing registrations for the repatriation flights, Chaudhary said: “More requests are coming in on a daily basis.”

He explained that the mission aims to take back Indian nationals who need to fly back home owing to special reasons, like those who have lost their jobs or have medical needs. He expressed his gratitude towards His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority for their support throughout the mission.

Meanwhile, another repatriation flight departed yesterday with 177 passengers, including an infant, on board, destined for the southern city of Kochi. The Air India Express flight landed at its destination in the evening. Previous repatriation flights from Bahrain have also flown to the cities of Trivandrum and Hyderabad.

While on board the aircraft, crew members and passengers are required to observe safety measures and precautions to protect themselves from COVID-19. The safety measures include wearing masks and maintaining environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene and hand hygiene.