India: Coronavirus

(asked on 6th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to re-open the portal for UK travellers stranded in India wanting to register an interest in accessing UK Government special charter flights to return to the UK.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 13th May 2020

As of 10pm 12 May, more than 14,000 people have been repatriated from India on 60 flights. Between 12 and 15 May, an additional four flights are due to depart from Amritsar and one from Ahmedabad, servicing those locations with the highest numbers of British nationals remaining in the country. Seats on these flights are being allocated to British people who are on waiting lists. We are reserving as many seats as possible on the flights for vulnerable British nationals. Each registration portal has been open for a minimum of 5 days and widely promoted, allowing sufficient time for British nationals wishing to leave India as soon as possible to register their interest in a flight. After this phase of flights, we anticipate that the vast majority of British nationals remaining on the waiting list who can, and want to fly, will have returned to the UK. We are monitoring where there are British nationals still needing to return to the UK, and will reassess if there is need for further flights based on demand. Consular assistance is available for British nationals who remain in India and require support.

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