Dozens of repatriation flights for Indian citizens will leave the UAE over the next month.
On Tuesday, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the flight schedule for national airlines that will run from August 1 to August 29.
Air India will operate 22 flights from airports in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Destinations include Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Amritsar, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kochi.
The ministry also released a partial list of flights under phase five of the Vande Bharat or Salute India government-led mission to repatriate its citizens.
The flights, operated by the government-owned, low-cost carrier Air India Express will run between August 1 and 15. They include four daily flights from Dubai between August 1 and August 5 and another 37 flights out of Dubai from August 6 to August 15.
The airline will take off for India 79 times from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, state news agency Wam reported.
Air India Express said Indian citizens registered with diplomatic missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi could book on the airline’s website or through registered UAE travel agents.
Air India and its low-cost subsidiary have brought back 259,764 Indians on 1,391 inbound flights in the first four phases of Vande Bharat mission so far.
The extra flights were organised in response to demand from Indian citizens living in the UAE who want to return to their home country amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Many lost their jobs or wished to return to their families after the coronavirus hit the global economy.
Repatriation flights will also leave from Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.
