Air India opens bookings for repatriation flights

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 7

Air India today opened bookings for eligible foreign nationals and valid visa holders of the UK, the USA and Singapore for outbound repatriation flights that will be operated between May 7 and May 14 under the Vande Bharat mission.

Officials in the national carrier said foreign nationals or valid visa holders would be charged the same fare as Indian nationals, who want a seat on the inbound repatriation flights.

For all flights between India and the USA under the Vande Bharat mission, Air India is charging a fixed fare of Rs 1 lakh per passenger, they said.

For flights between India and Singapore, the charge is Rs 18,000-20,000 per passenger and it is Rs 50,000 per person for India-UK flights.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had clarified that a person who has an Overseas Indian Citizenship (OCI) card or citizenship of a foreign country or a valid visa of more than a year of that country or the green card of that country could travel on repatriation flights leaving India under the Vande Bharat mission.

Air India will be conducting 64 flights to 12 countries between May 7 and May 14 to bring back approximately 15,000 Indians stranded due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Box: The fare

Air India is charging a fixed fare of Rs1 lakh per passenger for flights between India and USA

For flights between India and Singapore, the charge is Rs18,000 and Rs20,000 per passenger and it is Rs50,000 per person for India-UK flights