NEW DELHI: SpiceJet and IndiGo aircraft on Sunday took 275 Indians, who were recently evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran, from Delhi to Jodhpur for quarantine, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
India is currently under 21-day lockdown till April 14 to curb the spread of coronavirus and consequently, all international and domestic commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this period. "Operation Namaste! Efforts to safeguard Indian citizens against Covid19 continue," Puri wrote on Twitter.
"The 275 Indians who were evacuated from Iran have been screened & shifted by IndiGo and SpiceJet aircraft to Army Wellness Centre at Jodhpur for quarantine," he added.
In a statement, IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta said, "We are honoured to have the opportunity to operate this relief flight, which enabled the shifting of 139 Indian citizens evacuated from Iran to Jodhpur for testing, isolation and treatment as needed."
The IndiGo flight 6E9121 was operated by two pilots and four cabin crew members, the statement said. adding that all 139 passengers aboard the IndiGo aircraft tested negative for the coronavirus prior to the flight.
In a statement, SpiceJet chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said, "We are proud to have operated this special flight to facilitate the transfer of 136 fellow Indians from Delhi to Jodhpur."
SpiceJet stated that the special flight SG9001 took off at 6:25 am from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and landed at Jodhpur airport at 8:20 am. "The aircraft has been disinfected thoroughly after the flight," the airline added.
According to the Union Health Ministry, 979 people have tested positive for the virus in India so far and 25 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported.