Special Flights Home During Eid For Indians in Blockade-Hit Qatar

New Delhi: India will run special flights for its citizens to travel home during Eid from Qatar which has been hit by travel and trade boycott by other Gulf nations.

Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapati Raju, said that Air India and private airlines will operate additional flights to Doha from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai.

He assured that Indians are not stranded in Qatar but many have not been able to get tickets due to the embargo by other Gulf countries. Nearly 7 lakh Indians live in Qatar.

AFP quoted a senior Indian foreign ministry official as saying the extra commercial flights were being run to "facilitate movement of those who wish to travel to India but cannot do that via Qatar's neighbouring countries".

Tens of thousands of Indians, especially from Kerala, travel home from Doha during Eid, but many have been struggling to book tickets since three Gulf states barred Qatar's national carrier from using their airspace earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced a severing of ties with Qatar over alleged support for extremist groups and Iran, a charge which Doha denies.

While Air India will operate special flights between Kerala and Doha from June 25 to July 8, Jet Airways will operate extra flights between Mumbai and Doha.

“Jet Airways will operate a 168-seater aircraft on June 22 and June 23. Air India subsidiary Air India Express will be flying its 186-seater Boeing 737 on Thiruvananthapuram-Doha and Cochin-Doha routes from June 25 to July 8,” a senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.

Raju said the government is also in talks with other private airlines to start special flights. He said the move comes after Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, discussed the matter with him earlier this week.

“All steps necessary for timely movement of our citizens from Doha will be ensured. I and Sushma Swaraj are in touch on this issue,” Raju tweeted.