Covid: UK to send 14 more charter flights to take back 3600 Britishers stranded in India

After 250 British nationals departed from India to their home country on Thursday in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the British government has decided to send 14 more chartered flights from April 28 onwards to transport about 3,600 British travellers back home from India.

"...The 14 new flights announced today bring the total number of UK government charter flights from India to 52. We are continuing to work around the clock to ensure all British travellers in India are supported to come back to the UK if they wish," UK Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said.

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UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "Travel to and from India is severely restricted and so we have organised a series of charter flights. Through these 52 UK charter flights, we will have brought back 13,000 people and our staff in India will continue to support all those UK nationals who need our help."

"We are extremely grateful for the close and continuing support of the Indian government and airport authorities in facilitating this unprecedented repatriation exercise. We are continuing to work around the clock to get as many British nationals home as possible," Jan Thompson, Acting High Commissioner to India, said.

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Nearly 250 British nationals and 101 Sri Lankan students who were stranded in India amid COVID-19 lockdown departed from Amritsar International Airport on Thursday. Earlier on April 21, a relief flight of British Airways had departed from Amritsar with 260 stranded passengers on board. Last week, the British High Commission had said that 17 chartered flights will bring back people stranded in India due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

The transportation flights will depart from Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Flights from Amritsar to London will fly on April 28-30 and May 1-4. The flights from Ahmedabad will operate on April 28-29 and May 1, 3 and 4. Meanwhile, flights from Delhi to London will operate on April 30.

(With ANI inputs)