Updated 13 April 2020 at 13:45 IST
Additional flights announced to evacuate Britons stuck In India amid Covid: Schedule here
This follows the first round of evacuation entailing seven charter flights carrying people between April 5-12 from different cities in India to the UK
The British government has announced additional charter flights to rescue thousands of UK citizens stranded in India. This follows the first round of evacuation with seven charter flights carrying people between 5-12 April from different cities in India.
More flights to bring nack citizens
While the Acting High Commissioner for UK thanked the Indian government for their support, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon appreciated India's help for the 'complex operation'. There are 3000 British citizens in India stranded in various cities due to the lock-down. They contacted the British High Commission in Delhi as well as consular offices and finally it is time for them go home. An additional 12 charter flights have been announced by the UK authorities to take these passengers back home. The booking for these flights have been opened as travellers need to reserve seats in advance.
Jan Thompson, Acting High Commissioner to India, said: “We can confirm 12 more charter flights to bring British travellers back home – on top of the flights already launched. 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.”
UK Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon 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.” The current announcement follows the seven charter flights announced on April 5 from Goa, Mumbai and New Delhi (8-12 April) . A total 5000 people will be sent to England on these flights. London saw its first evacuation flight from India on last Thursday morning with 317 UK citizens on board from Goa. For the new flights announced and how to make reservation, the passengers have been advised to check the 'India Travel Page' on the high commission's website.
Here is the schedule for the second round of flights.
Amritsar - UK: 13, 17, 19 April.
Ahmedabad - UK: 13, 15 April.
Goa - UK: 14, 16 April.
Goa (via Mumbai) - UK: 18 April.
Thiruvananthapuram (via Kochi) - UK: 15 April.
Hyderabad (via Ahmedabad) - UK: 17 April.
Kolkata (via Delhi) - UK: 19 April.
Chennai (via Bengaluru) - UK: 20 April.
For passenger looking for additional help, the British High Commission and consular services are available on the following numbers. Consular helpline numbers: New Delhi: +91 (11) 2419 2100; Chennai: +91 (44) 42192151; Mumbai/Goa: +91 (22) 6650 2222.
Published By : Digital Desk
Published On: 13 April 2020 at 13:45 IST