Chartered flight brings 173 stranded Indians back from UAE

Mangaluru: A chartered flight on Sunday brought 173 Indians back to Karnataka from UAE where they were stranded since the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The flight, arranged by the Karnataka Sports and Cultural Club (KSCC), landed at the Mangaluru international airport (MIA). KSCC is the first sports and cultural club to arrange a chartered flight for stranded Kannadigas in the UAE, said a press release.

The passengers carried 29 pregnant women, 16 children, five infants and senior citizens, among others.

All the legal procedures in UAE were carried out at the airport, KSCC manager Shafi said.

Rapid tests for coronavirus were conducted before departure and mandatory quarantine for all the passengers have been arranged as per COVID-19 protocol in three hotels here.