Passengers include 181 Non-Resident Keralites from Abu Dhabi, 182 from Dubai.
The Vande Bharat Mission to bring stranded Non-Resident Keralites back home in the wake of a global lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic got off to a firm start with two flights from the Gulf carrying 363 passengers touching down at the Cochin and Karipur airports on Thursday night.
The first flight carrying 177 adult passengers and four children from Abu Dhabi landed at the Cochin international airport at 10.08 p.m. The Air India Express flight was initially scheduled to land at 9.40 p.m. The passengers included 48 pregnant women.
The special flight carrying 182 Malayali expatriates, including five children, from Dubai reached Karipur at 10.35 p.m.
The passengers on the Kochi flight had been issued affidavits to be submitted on arrival on the flight itself. The flight was received at a specially prepared bay and