Pregnant women, students will take precedence on flights that are not scheduled: India

Washington: The Indian government has agreed to allow the return of American Indian nationals, who were unable to return because of COVID-19 related foreign travel restrictions, in a phased manner.

For the first step, Air India will operate non-scheduled commercial flights from the US to various Indian cities from 9 to 15 May.

Because there will be a small number of seats on the flights, passengers with compelling cases such as those facing medical emergencies or needing return due to family bereavement. Priority will be given to graduates, pregnant women, elderly people or those facing visa expiry and classified via an electronic system of random selection.

The passenger shall bear the expense of flying from the designated airport in the US to the designated airport in India. The Embassy / Consulates will share the passenger details shared with Air India offices who will contact them directly about ticket booking and payment process. Refunds or changes, if any, can be handled separately with Air India for tickets booked previously.

All passengers will be expected to undergo medical screening before boarding the flight and travel is permitted only to asymptomatic passengers.

All passengers will be medically screened upon arrival in India and will need to download and register on the Aarogya Setu app.

On arrival in India, all passengers will have to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine on payment basis in institutional quarantine facilities as per the protocols established by the Indian government. COVID monitoring will take place within 14 days and further steps will be taken in compliance with appropriate health protocols.

All passengers will be expected to follow the procedures including safety guidelines provided by the U.S. government on departure and by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Civil Aviation and other concerned Government of India authorities before, during the trip, and upon arrival in India.

Both passengers will be asked to sign an undertaking that will be obtained from them at the airport prior to flight boarding.