Covid-19 update: UK announces 12 additional charter flights for thousands stranded in India

The British government said last week it plans to operate charter flights for some 20,000 Britons stranded in different Indian states. Bookings for the flights to be operated from April 13 began on Friday, the British high commission said.

The UK announced on Friday it will operate a second wave of 12 charter flights during April 13-20 to evacuate more than 3,000 British travellers stranded in India.

Health workers wearing protective gear applaud as they take part in a flash mob at the Pavullo hospital near Modena, on April 9, 2020 during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus. - The flash mob, organized by the Regional Civil Protection Agency aimed at, with its officials, employees and volunteers, thanking all those who are engaged daily to manage and overcome the emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP) (AFP)

The British government said last week it plans to operate charter flights for some 20,000 Britons stranded in different Indian states. Bookings for the flights to be operated from April 13 began on Friday, the British high commission said.

The first wave of seven charter flights will carry Britons from Goa, Mumbai and New Delhi during April 8-12. The total number of people to be brought back on these 19 flights is around 5,000.

The first charter flight from India arrived at London Stanstead airport on Thursday morning with 317 British nationals from Goa.

The 12 additional flights will depart from Amritsar on April 13, 17 and 19, from Ahmedabad on April 13 and 15, from Goa on April 14 and 16, from Goa via Mumbai on April 18, from Thiruvananthapuram via Kochi on April 15, from Hyderabad via Ahmedabad on April 17, from Kolkata via Delhi on April 19 and from Chennai via Bengaluru on April 20.

The UK minister of state for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Tariq Ahmad, said: “We are doing all we can to get thousands of British travellers in India home. This is a huge and complex operation which also involves working with the Indian government to enable people to move within India to get on these flights.

“Over 300 people arrived from Goa on Thursday morning, 1,400 more will arrive over the Easter weekend and these 12 flights next week will bring back thousands more.”

Jan Thompson, the acting high commissioner to India, said: “We are extremely grateful for the support we are receiving from the government of India on this. Getting people home as quickly as possible remains our absolute priority.”

The British high commission said India is a priority country for the Foreign Office to arrange charter flights from, “with a large number of Britons seeking to return and a lack of commercial options – made more challenging by the size of the country and the restrictions on movement that are in place”.

The British government is working with the airline industry and host governments around the world to bring back British travellers as part of a plan announced by foreign secretary Dominic Raab on March 30, with up to £75 million available for special charter flights to priority countries that are focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers.

So far, flights have brought back British travellers from the Philippines, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nepal, Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria and Peru.

The charter flights are only for British travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependants. A number of seats will be reserved for those deemed vulnerable.