Jaipur airport set to welcome 1,600 Indians from May 22

JAIPUR: Jaipur airport authorities are gearing up for May 22 when stranded Indians from abroad will start landing here.
At least 13 flights will land at the airport from Manila, London, Toronto and Kazakhstan and other countries via Delhi and Ahmedabad. Airport authorities are in touch with the state government to evolve the SOPs to handle these operations.
Authorities said every passenger would have to undergo proper screening by the medical and health department.“Passengers will be sent to quarantine facilities either in the city or to their home districts,” a senior officer at the airport said.
Airport director Jaideep Singh Balhara said, “We are expecting arrival of 1,593 passengers by 13 diferent flights from May, 22 onwards. These special flights will come from Philippines, United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Canada, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Russia.”
He added the first flight from Philippines will land with 243 passengers at 12.30 am. “We are in touch with the state government to evolve various SOPs including proper sanitisation, thermal screening and health checkups of passengers,” Balhara added.
The non-resident Indians were in touch with the Centre to make efforts for evacuation. Prem Bhandari, USA chairman of Jaipur foot, has been writing to the Centre on stranded Indians. “I have been in touch foreign secretary Harsvardhan Shringla and civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola. On behalf of Non-Resident Indians, I express my gratitude to facilitate these flights. Everyday, I am getting calls from stranded Indians from all across the globe including students and professionals,” said Bhandari from New York.