1st batch of Indians stranded in UK to arrive early morning Sunday (Representative image)
The first batch of Indian nationals stranded in the UK after suspension of commercial air passenger services amid the COVID-19 outbreak are set to arrive here early morning on Sunday, a source said. The Air India flight, a Boeing 777 aircraft, departed for Mumbai from London at around 11 am on Saturday, an airline source told PTI.
The flight is expected to arrive at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai (CSMIA) at around 1.15 am on Sunday, he said.
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which manages and operates the Mumbai airport has put together standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure safety of passengers arriving on repatriation flights, starting from Sunday, according to airport officials.
The repatriation operations will see CSMIA catering to 10 flights and six transit flights in the course of seven days, welcoming stranded Indian nationals from countries such as the UK, US, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Philippines -- commencing with four flights on May 10, the MIAL said in a release.
The airport will be complying with the government guidelines during the repatriation where it will ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers, right from the time the flight lands and passengers disembark the aircraft till they leave the terminal building, it said.
Two dedicated aerobridges have been identified for repatriation flights, along with a provision of proper infrastructure to the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) for the screening of passengers before entering the immigration area, it said.
Passengers will need to maintain a physical distance of a minimum of two metres through distinctive markings laid out at the airport and are required to wear face mask and hand gloves during the entire course of their journey, the MIAL said.
In addition, the airport has set up 30 immigration counters for undertaking the necessary procedures and ensuring quickest clearance of arriving passengers, it said.
Besides, the CSMIA is making special arrangements for the stranded Indian nationals arriving at the airport by arranging food and beverage facilities for the passengers in the arriving hall.
The airport will be undertaking preventive measures by disinfecting the baggage before loading on the conveyor belt and providing sanitised baggage trolleys to the passengers along with hand sanitisers being stationed across various touchpoints at the airport, the MIAL said.
Also, arriving passengers will also be escorted by CISF personnel until they are handed over to the state authorities, it said.
Provisions have been made that if any symptomatic passenger is identified at the airport, the passenger would be immediately isolated and moved to the separate area earmarked for the purpose.
Additionally, designated airport ambulances have been kept on standby to shift the symptomatic passengers to designated isolation centres, the MIAL said.
According to MIAL, the Maharashtra government has made arrangements for asymptomatic passengers from Mumbai to be moved to identified quarantine facilities like hotels depending on their preference while those from outside Mumbai will be transported by the state to their respective district headquarters for institutional quarantine.
For this purpose, the state government has also established a help desk at the airport to guide the arriving passengers.
The CSMIA will be operating with one-third of its staff who will be provided with all essential personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as face masks, hand gloves, sanitisers, as per the directive from the Ministry of Health Affairs.
The airport maintenance staff will continue to follow the comprehensive cleaning procedures to efficiently sanitise and disinfect the terminal building including the vital areas where human hands come to play such as elevator buttons, escalators, railings, amongst others, as per MIAL release.
Furthermore, the APHO, immigration, customs and CISF personnel, who would be coming in direct contact with the arriving passengers, will be provided with face shield and all appropriate PPEs for the protection and safety of the individuals.
The arriving passengers need to strictly follow the protocols issued by the government at all times, which include wearing of masks, environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene, among others, the MIAL said.
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