A total of 136 flights are set to take off from several Asian and GCC countries…

There’s some welcome news for Indian nationals who are keen to return home. Phase four of the Vande Bharat (Salute India) mission will begin on July 1, which will see a total of 136 flights taking stranded Indians back home to several states in India.

The list was announced by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India on their official website on June 27. Each flight will have a capacity of 177 people, and the UAE flights will take off from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

A full list of flights can be found below, as well as the steps required to request a seat.

Flights from Dubai

  • July 1: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • July 1: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 1: Jaipur, Rajasthan
  • July 2: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 2: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 2: Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • July 3: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • July 3: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 3: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 4: Hyderabad, Telangana
  • July 4: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 4: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 4: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • July 5: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 5: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 5: Amritsar, Punjab
  • July 6: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • July 6: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 6: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 7: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 7: Hyderabad, Telangana
  • July 7: Delhi, Delhi
  • July 8: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 8: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 8: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 9: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • July 9: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 9: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 10: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 10: Amritsar, Punjab
  • July 10: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 11: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 11: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • July 11: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 12: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 12: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 13: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 13: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 13: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 14: Hyderabad, Telangana
  • July 14: Kochi, Kerala

Flights from Abu Dhabi

  • July 1: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 2: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 2: Amritsar, Punjab
  • July 2: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 3: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 4: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 5: Hyderabad, Telangana
  • July 6: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 7: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • July 7: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • July 8: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • July 8: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 9: Kozhikode, Kerala
  • July 10: Kannur, Kerala
  • July 10: Kochi, Kerala
  • July 13: Delhi, Delhi
  • July 14: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • July 14: Kochi, Kerala

Registrations for Indians wishing to be repatriated from the UAE started in April. You will only be allowed to book a flight once you have received approval from the Embassy. The form can be found here.

An official press release by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi outlines specific health protocols that must be followed if you are approved for the repatriation flights to India.

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All departing passengers will have to undergo medical screening and IgM/IgG (the test for antibodies in the system) at the departure airport. Only those cleared by the UAE health authorities and found to be asymptomatic will be allowed to board the plane.

All passengers will have to sign an undertaking to undergo compulsory quarantine when they arrive at their destination, which they will need to pay for themselves.

Passengers will be provided with a safety kit when they board, containing masks and gloves, which must be used onboard. They will also be provided with sanitisers.

Upon arrival, thermal screening will be carried out. Passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately taken to a medical facility as per the health protocol.

Other passengers will be taken to a suitable facility where they will be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days. If they test negative, they will be allowed to go home where they will further quarantine for 14 days. If they test positive, they will be moved to a medical facility.

Image: Getty