Vande Bharat Mission: Second flight carrying 182 stranded Indians lands in Kozhikode

Image courtesy: Twitter/@HardeepSPuri

Kozhikode: An Air Indian repatriation flight from Dubai with 182 Indian nationals onboard landed in Kozhikode, Kerala on Thursday (May 8, 2020) night. The flight took off from Dubai International Airport evacuating Indians stranded in the city due to coronavirus lockdown. 

"The flight from Dubai to Kozhikode had a total of 182 passengers onboard - 177 adults and 5 children," said Kerala's Department of Information and Public Relations. The evacuated citizens will be sent to the Institutional Quarantine facilities set up by the district administrations in their respective districts, Kerala government officials said.

Pregnant women, people needing immediate treatment, those returning to attend ceremonies connected to the death of a close relative, aged people needing continuous assistance and children under 10 years will be permitted to go to their houses, where they will be under strict home quarantine (self-isolation) for 14 days, officials said.

Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took to Twitter and gave the confirmation of both the Air India flights successfully completing the evacuation process on Thursday. Puri said, ''Mission Vande Bharat begins. First two flights bring home Indian citizens from the UAE.177 passengers plus 4 infants reach Cochin from Abu Dhabi. 177 passengers plus 5 infants reach Kozhikode from Dubai. State govt will now arrange for their mandatory 14-day quarantine.''

Mission Vande Bharat begins.

First two flights bring home Indian citizens from the UAE.

177 passengers plus 4 infants reach Cochin from Abu Dhabi.
177 passengers plus 5 infants reach Kozhikode from Dubai.

State govt will now arrange for their mandatory 14 day quarantine. pic.twitter.com/sVteZkd2Tj

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 7, 2020

The flight landed at Kozhikode International Airport on Thursday. The repatriation was carried out under India's massive evacuation effort named 'Vande Bharat Mission'.

Earlier, the first repatriation Air India Express flight with 181 passengers from Abu Dhabi landed at Cochin International Airport.

India has commenced the massive evacuation operation beginning today. Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Starting from 7 May, 64 flights will take off for 12 countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Maldives, Singapore, and the US.