Over 500 return to India on 3 more flights from Oman

Muscat: More than 500 more Indian nationals returned to their home country on three repatriation flights that took off from Oman on Wednesday, 20 May.
Two flights departed from Muscat, with their final destinations being Bangalore and Kannur, while another aircraft departed from Salalah and landed in Calicut.
544 passengers, including seven infants, were on board these planes, said officials from the Embassy of India in Muscat, which is the local organisation coordination repatriation flights as part of the Government of India’s Vande Bharat mission, which was set up to fly home Indian nationals who wished to return to India during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Muscat-Bangalore was the first flight to depart, with 177 passengers and two infants on board. A statement from the embassy said at the time of take-off, “Bangalore flight IX 818 has departed. Wishing all the passengers a safe journey.”
The flights to Kannur and Calicut in Kerala took off subsequently. 180 passengers and two infants were on the plane to Kannur, while another 180 passengers and three infants boarded the flight at Salalah. All of the flights to Oman were organised by Air India, the country’s national airline.
Among the passengers travelling to Kannur was Ashana Bakkar, who boarded the plane with her mother and young son. “I am with my mother, and she is diabetic, so we applied to the Indian embassy through their website. They were very fast in helping us, so we are ready to travel. We appreciate the embassy for doing everything very quickly.”
The Indian embassy added that they were “always happy to help the Indian community.”
The next flight to take home Indian nationals Oman under the Vande Bharat mission will arrive on 21 May, and will fly from Muscat to Delhi. Another flight – which will also fly to Kannur – has been scheduled for the 22nd, while three flights will arrive in Muscat and take passengers to Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Gaya.
Passengers who wish to travel on these planes are requested to directly contact the Embassy of India, and not solicit calls from travel agents who claim to be acting on their behalf, but are not authorised to do so.