Expatriates hope to return to host countries; 95 India-Gulf flights lined up

Dubai: Expatriates stranded in India are feeling relieved with the resumption of international flights to the Gulf region. There are hundreds longing to get back to places of work and jobs as much as there are thousands waiting for their turn to fly back home from their country of residence in the Covid situation.  

Many such expatriates are heaving a sigh of relief with the declaration of resumption of flights in the India-Gulf sector. From Tuesday until 4 June,  95 services have been announced by Air India Express which connect different Indian cities with Gulf destinations.   Of these, 80 are from airports in Kerala and bound for Dubai,  Abu Dhabi,  Doha, Kuwait,  Muscat, Salalah and Bahrain.

But the majority of the flights are to Dubai.  Those who arrive by these flights will be required to undergo tests, spend 14 days in quarantine and will be allowed to join work only after testing negative for Covid.  Even with such conditions,  many are feeling relieved although the worry  about possible high fares is still haunting them.

The aspirant returnees to Gulf had been stranded after landing in India when the unexpected lockdown was declared.    Among them,  the ones working in the health care sector  had already been lifted with the special initiative and with permission of the respective Gulf governments,  to meet the manpower needs in the special situation.

However,  the large section of those employed in other sectors have been languishing in home countries with no clear picture of resumption of flights.  Since the Gulf countries were in lockdown,  and in the relatively lull Ramadan season,  most employers had extended their leave. Also there are several cases of dependent families having gone to India and being stranded there, with their family head left in the Gulf and vice versa with some family heads having travelled to India for short missions without their families accompanying them.