The Indian government on Monday announced that evacuation of Indians stranded in various countries would begin from Thursday. The Indian consulate in Dubai announced later on Monday that two special flights—Abu Dhabi to Kochi and Dubai to Kozhikode—would take off on Thursday with NRIs wanting to go home.
The Indian mission's statement on who would foot the bill for the flights is already worrying passengers. “The cost of the tickets and other conditions, for travel including quarantine requirements after reaching India, and health requirements to board the flight will be conveyed in due course and will have to be accepted by each passenger," the Indian mission said. The condition of NRIs needing to pay for their evacuation tickets has already caused heartburn, as thousands of expatriates in the Gulf have lost their jobs due to economic disruption caused by COVID-19.
Now, a media report in the UAE is expected to add to the woes of the stranded NRIs. Gulf News, a publication in Dubai, reported on Tuesday that air fare for the special evacuation flights could be twice the normal fare during May.
“A one-way repatriation ticket to Delhi will cost approximately Dh1,400-Dh1,650—this would earlier have cost between Dh600-Dh700 [during these months]. A one-way repatriation flight ticket to Kerala would cost approximately Dh1,900-Dh2,300," Jamal Abdulnazar, CEO of Cozmo Travel, told Gulf News. One UAE Dirham is equivalent to Rs 20.58. To put things in perspective, a stranded NRI would have to pay up to Rs 33,950 to travel to Delhi and up to Rs 47,300 to travel to Kerala.
Gulf News added that Indian missions in the UAE are already reaching out to the NRIs. "Sources said that officials in Indian diplomatic missions have already initiated calls to some expats, telling them about likely ticket fares and enquiring about their willingness to travel," Gulf News added. The publication added that many NRIs may decide to back out of choosing the repatriation flights.
Abdulnazar noted that the rationale behind the heightened costs is social distancing norms. Airlines are unlikely to fly at their maximum capacity to reduce risk of COVID-19. The situation is made worse by the fact that the Indian government has yet to officially tap private operators in the country for the evacuation efforts. As of now, only Air India and the Indian Air Force and Navy would be involved in evacuating NRIs.
Interestingly, carriers in the UAE have announced their willingness to aid in evacuation efforts.
"UAE’s Emirates airline, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia are likely to also operate repatriation flights to India after Air India implements the first phase of services," Gulf News reported.
Some media groups in India have reported that fare from Dubai to destinations in Kerala could be around Rs 13,000. Moreover, the possibility of the government intervening to cut fares cannot be ruled out.
PTI reported on Tuesday that the INS Shardul, an amphibious assault warship of the Indian Navy, was diverted to Dubai to evacuate NRIs. The ship will take the passengers to Kochi. The naval option could be used for passengers who cannot afford the air fares.
