Hyderabad: Two special flights evacuate US nationals stranded amid lockdown

The Hyderabad International Airport managed two Special Passenger Charter flights of Air India, to evacuate US nationals from the city. The first special Air India flight AI 1615 (Arrivals) / AI 1616 (Departures), an airbus A 320 aircraft landed at Hyderabad Airport on Friday and departed with 70 US nationals (69 adults and 1 infant) to Mumbai. The second special flight - AI 1617 (Arrivals) / AI 1618 (Departures), also an airbus A 320 aircraft landed at Hyderabad International Airport on Saturday and departed with 98 US-bound passengers (96 adults and 2 infants) to Mumbai.

Both domestic flights were operated from the main Passenger Terminal Building of Hyderabad International Airport. The passengers were further connected with Delta Airlines from Mumbai to their final destination in the US.

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Telangana Govt prepares evacuation

The Telangana government, in coordination with the US Consulate, directed the US-bound passengers to reach the airport between 12 and 2 PM from various parts of Hyderabad.

The US nationals were screened and safety measures were in place during the flight's handling to protect against the COVID-19 threat. Thermal screening prior to terminal entry, mandatory social distancing was taken care of during the evacuation process.

On April 7, airport operator GHIAL had assisted 99 US-bound passengers who flew to Mumbai and were connected to the US by Delta Airlines. On March 31, the airport managed a group of 38 German Nationals from Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai to Frankfurt. The airport also serviced a special Medical Evacuation Flight of IndiGo, which dropped its 8 Hyderabad-bound crew members and departed to Chennai.

Earlier in April, Goa's Dabolim international airport operated a special rescue flight ferrying 192 German tourists stranded in the city-state. The total number of international passengers evacuated from India had risen to 2,023 then.

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