India to operate two flights from Oman today, COVID-19 tests now mandatory for Kerala

Merge 104.8  |  17 June 2020

Kerala’s state government has announced today [Wednesday, June 17] that COVID-19 tests are now mandatory for all passengers traveling to the south Indian state on all chartered and Vande Bharat mission flights.

Cover photo credit: Indian Embassy in Oman

As Asianet News reports, the announcement — which was made today by Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan — stipulates that all passengers returning to the state from overseas must produce a negative COVID-19 test result before they will be allowed to board repatriation flights.

The Indian Embassy in Oman has confirmed that two Air India Express repatriation flights will depart today from Muscat International Airport bound for Bangalore/Mangalore and Bhubaneswar.

The flights fall under the Republic’s Vande Bharat mission to repatriate its nationals abroad, with 14 departures scheduled between June 9-23 as per the roster below:

9 June 2020MuscatVijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)
10 June 2020MuscatKozhikode (Kerala)
10 June 2020SalalahKochi (Kerala)
11 June 2020MuscatDelhi
12 June 2020MuscatTrivandrum (Kerala)
13 June 2020MuscatCoimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
14 June 2020MuscatKannur (Kerala)
15 June 2020MuscatLucknow
16 June 2020MuscatMumbai (Maharashtra)
17 June 2020MuscatBengaluru / Mangalore (Karnataka)
18 June 2020MuscatTrivandrum (Kerala)
19 June 2020MuscatKochi (Kerala)
21 June 2020MuscatKochi (Kerala)
23 June 2020MuscatKozhikode (Kerala)

The Indian Embassy also announced last week nine additional flights scheduled to depart from Oman between June 17-30, as follows:

June 17: Bhubaneshwar
June 19: Goa
June 24: Kozhikode
June 25: Trivandrum
June 26: Kochi
June 27: Kochi
June 28: Trivandrum
June 29: Kochi
June 30: Kannur

(Also read: COVID-19: India, Pakistan to operate flights to repatriate stranded nationals in Oman today.)