Kochi airport gears up to receive expatriates returning home

The Central government is likely to operate 64 flights from May 7 to 13 to bring home around 14,800 Indian nationals stranded abroad because of the coronavirus lockdown. Kochi airport is gearing up to receive expatriates returning home.

Kochi: A batch of over 2,100 expatriates from Kerala in Gulf countries are expected to be airlifted here in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic and extensive preparations are underway at the international airport here to receive them, an official said on Tuesday.

As many as 2,150 expatriates are expected to be airlifted in 10 flights from countries including United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in the first phase of evacuation operations commencing on Thursday.

"Extensive preparations to ensure implementation of COVID-19 evacuation protocol and exit social distancing norms are underway at the Cochin International Airport Limited," a spokesman of the airport said.

Read:Govt to operate 64 flights to repatriate 14,800 stranded Indians

He said a three-phased dis-infestation project was going on at the airport while mock drills for testing different systems had already been completed.

"Apart from the temperature guns to read the temperature of the passengers, the process of installing thermal scanners at the arrival area is on. Entire synthetic/textile wrapped furniture were replaced with temporary plastic chairs," the spokesman added.

Thousands of expatriates from the state wishing to return home have started registering on the non-resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) department as instructed by the government. More than four lakh expatriates, mainly from the Gulf, have registered themselves seeking to return to the state.

(PTI report)