Venkat Raman
Auckland, April 23, 2020
The New Zealand government is considering possibilities of arranging at least one flight to bring home New Zealanders stranded in South India and West Bengal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and the Indian High Commission in Delhi with its Consular Office in Mumbai have been working with the Indian government officials to make this flight possible.
It is understood that the cost per person would be about $5500.
Only New Zealand citizens and those with Permanent Resident status will be eligible, but must go through the set procedures including registration at www.safetravel.govt.nz
We wish to clarify that we do not guarantee that this flight has been confirmed or that everyone stranded will be able to board this flight under consideration. They will be subject to the rules of the various governments and enforcing authorities involved.
Indian Newslink has been contacted by scores of people stuck in Tamilnadu, among who are young families separated with their spouses in New Zealand, pregnant women, and many others engaged in essential services in this country.
They said that flights now being organised out of New Delhi and Mumbai will not help them because of travel restrictions in India.
Lockdown extension in India
Apart from the federal government in New Delhi, almost all State governments have locked down, shutting off airports and exit points, making it impossible for stranded people to reach Mumbai and New Delhi.
“We are conscious that there are significant numbers of New Zealanders currently in India who are stranded a long way from New Delhi and Mumbai, especially in southern and eastern India. We are looking into flight options for them, including with partners, from Chennai and Kolkata,” Mr Peters said a short while ago.
He said that MFAT will continue to provide consular assistance to any New Zealanders who cannot take these flights.
Complex Operation
“This has been an extraordinarily complex operation. Nearly 1300 registered an interest in the flight, spread out across the country. This included a large number of non-eligible people, which added an additional layer of complexity as MFAT worked with relevant agencies to ensure that only those who would be allowed back into the country were permitted on to the flights,” Mr Peters said.
He said that three Air New Zealand flights will leave India over the next few days, the first of which will be on Friday, April 24, 2020 from New Delhi, the second from Mumbai on Saturday, March 25, 2020. They will arrive in Auckland the following days, respectively.
Delhi, Mumbai flights
Mr Peters said that the third flight, still under finalisation is expected to leave New Delhi on Thursday, April 30, 2020 from New Delhi and Mumbai.
These flights, operated by Air New Zealand, will fly directly from India to New Zealand, without stops, avoiding any additional difficulties around transit for New Zealanders returning home.
“The decision to use Air New Zealand for flights helps meets the New Zealand government’s strict health and safety standards, and ensure that the public health of New Zealanders is maintained both on the flight and when a charter flight arrives back in New Zealand,” Mr Peters said.
India has extended its lockdown (enforced on March 25, 2020) to May 3, 2020, and hence there are no commercial flight options out of the country.
“The decision to charter flights at huge expense was not taken lightly, but the New Zealand Government is seriously committed to assisting New Zealanders to return home where all other options have been exhausted. On March 19, 2020, we advised New Zealanders around the world that the window was closing for them to return home and that they should consider getting back to New Zealand immediately,” Mr Peters said.
