As part of Vande Bharat Mission, an Air India flight will bring back around 150 Indian nationals from Colombo in Sri Lanka on Friday.
This is the first repatriation flight under the mission from neighboring country and includes destinations of Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
Passengers have started reaching Colombo airport for medical screening and emigration formalities. All safety precautions are being taken at the airport and medical screening will be carried out for passengers before their boarding.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo said priority is being given to compelling cases in distress including migrant workers who have been laid off, medical emergency, students and those suffering personal losses.
More flights are expected from Colombo in next phase while INS Jalashwa of Indian navy will sail from Colombo port carrying around 700 Indian nationals to Tuticorin on Monday.
This will be the first voyage of navy ship from Sri Lanka, as part of its Samudra Setu mission. There are around 1,700 Indian nationals registered with Indian High Commission for evacuation due to COVID crisis and have been waiting for returning home.
Around hundred of them are tourists who came for holiday for few days but got stuck due to stopping of international flights.
Indian nationals constitute the maximum number of tourists to the neighboring country.
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