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Special flight with 268 stranded tourists takes off for London from Amritsar
The passengers reportedly included 222 British citizens and 44 Indians
As many as 268 passengers, who had been stranded in India after a nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) were rescued by a Qatar Airways’ special flight on Wednesday.
The flight departed for London from Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International airport, Amritsar, on Wednesday morning.
Amritsar airport’s director Manoj Chansoria said, “The Amritsar to London flight carrying 268 passengers, including Indians, took off at 2.53 am.”
The passengers reportedly included 222 British citizens and 44 Indians.
The UK’s foreign and commonwealth Office (FCO) had on Friday announced that 14 charter flights from India, which included eight from Amritsar, five from Ahmedabad and one from Delhi, would repatriate British residents stranded in India.
The FCO had said 3,600 more stranded travellers will be able to return from India in charters scheduled between April 28 and May 4.
On Tuesday, two charter flights had ferried 550-odd passengers from Amritsar airport.
So far, 11 flights have evacuated thousands of passengers, most of whome were stuck in Punjab, from Amritsar airport to London. Five more flights will depart for London in the next few a days.
Sources said the waiting list of passengers from Punjab was still ‘high’ and more flights are expected to be announced from Amritsar to London.
