Coronavirus outbreak: New Zealand to send aircraft to evacuate nationals from Wuhan

New Zealand has confirmed that it would charter an aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced the government agreed with Air New Zealand to charter an aircraft with a capacity of around 300 passengers which will fly back from Wuhan to New Zealand.

“We encourage all New Zealanders in the Hubei region to register on Safetravel and ensure all their details are accurate and up to date. This will give us a better understanding of the level of demand for this flight,” said Peters in a statement.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the concerned officials will be working through operational requirements with Air New Zealand and Chinese authorities. Though a nominal fee would be charged from the passengers, the ministry said that the government will absorb most of the cost of the charter flight. Peters said that New Zealand will be offering any additional seats to Pacific Island and Australian citizens as a matter of priority. 

“This is a complex operation as we work through all the necessary requirements but we are working to have the aircraft depart as soon as possible,” added Peters.

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India prepares for evacuation

Meanwhile, the Government of India has also requested to operate two aircraft to China to evacuate Indian nationals from Hubei province. Speaking at the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the government is waiting for formal approval from the Chinese side after which the evacuation will start.

Kumar said that the government has been conducting a regular review of the situation arising due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus in China. “We have established contacts with over 600 Indians living in coronavirus-hit Hubei province in China,” added Kumar saying they have asked Indians in living in Hubei Province whether they want to return to India.

Read: India Reaches Out To Over 600 Indians In Coronavirus-hit Hubei Province

Counselor Ji Rong, the spokesperson to the Chinese Embassy in India, said that it has maintained close communication with the Indian government and timely briefed on the development of the epidemic. Rong said that the Chinese side is playing close attention to the report of the emergence of one confirmed case of coronavirus in India.

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: India Awaits China’s Approval To Operate Two Aircraft

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