VIJAYAWADA: The first group repatriated under the Kuwait Amnesty Programme reached Vijayawada International Airport at 5 pm on Thursday. The all-women group of 145 foreign returnees belonged to the migrant workers category. As part of the programme, they did not have to pay for the flight tickets. All were shifted to the free government-run quarantine facility at Nuzvid. The women were screened before boarding the flight as well as after their arrival in Vijayawada.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has released a set of general guidelines to be followed during the handling of domestic flights, whose operations will resume on May 25. At present, only cargo and flights for evacuation are being operated. Specific operating guidelines are communicated to major stakeholders such as airlines, airports and ground handling agencies.
Speaking to TNIE regarding the preparedness of Vijayawada Airport, Director Giri Madhusudan Rao said, “As per the general standard operating procedure, we have already arranged everything. We have opted for maximum use of technology so that human touch can be minimised to the maximum possible extent. A few additions as per the Civil Aviation Ministry’s guidelines will also be implemented.” While airline operators have been alerted to keep their services ready, no communication regarding resumption of international flights has been received yet from the ministry.