Combating coronavirus: Indian mission receives 50 applications to arrange chartered flights

Dubai - Flight tickets are being priced at Dh990, according to Dubai KMCC president Ibrahim Elattil.

The Consulate-General of India in Dubai has received approximately 50 applications from community welfare groups and private companies to arrange chartered flights to repatriate stranded Indians, a consulate official has revealed.
Out of these, a total of 33 applications have been submitted by the Dubai wing of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), said Neeraj Agarwal, Consul, Press, Information, and Culture.
On Tuesday, heads of the KMCC confirmed that a total of three chartered flights will depart from Sharjah to Kozhikode in Kerala, starting June 11. Flight tickets are being priced at Dh990, according to Dubai KMCC president Ibrahim Elattil.
Agarwal confirmed the reports, and said: "Approvals for three flights have come through. The first Indigo flight, organised by the KMCC, will depart from Sharjah to Kozhikode on June 11 and two more are scheduled on June 12. The approvals for the remaining 30 flights are under process."
Elattil said: "For the remaining 30 flights, we have already received approval from the Kerala State Government. As of now, approvals from the Central government are pending."
He added:"Community groups and companies have submitted around 50 applications to charter flights from Dubai. These applications are currently being processed."
Dh33,500 contributed for tickets
Elattil said: "The first flight from Sharjah to Kozhikode, carrying 185 passengers will depart from Sharjah at 2.25pm. The second and third flights, to take off on June 12, is also planned to Kozhikode and will carry 185 passengers each."
He explained: "Preference will be given to pregnant women, stranded Indians on visit visas, those who have suffered job losses, and medical emergency cases."
"The tickets with the charterer were priced at Dh1050. The KMCC has contributed Dh60 towards each ticket, and totally we have contributed Dh33,500 towards the cause," he added.
Dubai KMCC acting president Mustafa Vengara told Khaleej Times that the KMCC received a total of 21,000 registrations from distressed expats. "A total of 13,000 applied through an online link and the remaining were referred from our various sister organisations," he said.
A majority of the next phase of flights will be departing to Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports. "Following the first phase, we will submit applications for 10 more flights, taking the total to 40 chartered flights," said Vengara.
He added: "In that phase, the next 30 flights will go to Kannur and the remaining 10 to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports."
More community groups to operate flights
Afi Ahmed, managing director of Smart Travels, Sharjah, said he has received approval from the Kerala state government to operate 10 private chartered flights to bring back stranded Malayalees from Dubai to Kerala. Ahmed said: "We will be charging Dh995 per ticket." A copy of the approval letter, which Khaleej Times has seen, clearly states the airfare on the chartered flight should be comparable with the Government of India approved rates.
It said: "Booking shall be done as per priority, which is for - those who have lost employment/cancellation of work visa, those on expired visit visa, pregnant women, elderly with co-morbidity, children with separated families, and others."
Indian Association Sharjah, Indian Association RAK, and other groups are also under the process of organising flights.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com