DGCA allows 870 chartered flights, ferrying of 200,000 people amid lockdown

These charted flights were foreign airlines transporting stranded people to their destinations amid coronavirus lockdown.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday said that in addition to facilitating the Vande Bharat Mission, it granted permission to around 870 chartered flights, transporting around 200,000 passengers, both inbound and outbound.
These charted flights were foreign airlines transporting stranded people to their destinations amid coronavirus lockdown.

"In addition to facilitating the Vande Bharat Mission, DGCA granted permission to around 870 chartered flights, transporting around 200,000 passengers, both inbound and outbound. Several Airlines helped in the humanitarian mission of taking stranded people to their destinations," tweeted the DGCA.

In another tweet informing about the airline taking part in the operations, the DGCA said, "Major airlines including Qatar Airways-81, KLM Dutch-68, Kuwait Air-41, British Airways-39, FlyDubai-38, Air France-32, Jazeera-30, Air Arabia-20, Gulf Air-19, Sri Lankan-19, Biman Bangladesh-15, Korean Air-14, Delta-13, Saudia-13 and Air Nippon-12 took part in the operations."

"Additionally, Airlines like Air New Zealand-12, Thai Air Asia-11, United Airlines-11, Iraqi Airways-11, Oman Air-10, Ural Airlines-9, Lufthansa-8, Somon Air-8, Condour-8, Emirates-5, Etihad-5, Aeroflot-4 & Virgin Atlantic-4 also took part in the chartered operations," the DGCA said in another tweet.

WHO declares international emergency over novel coronavirus outbreak

Top airlines including Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa have suspended or cut back services to China.

International News : The UN health agency on Thursday declared an international emergency over the deadly novel coronavirus from China -- a rarely used designation that could lead to improved international co-ordination in tackling the disease.

"Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems," World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as he declared a "public health emergency of international concern".

"This is not a vote of no confidence in China," he said, emphasising repeatedly that the measure was intended to help other countries less able to cope and praising the Chinese government for taking swift action to tackle the outbreak.

"We must all act together now to limit further spread.... We can only stop it together," said Tedros, who travelled to China this week and met with President Xi Jinping.

Tedros also said there was "no reason" for any of the international travel or trade restrictions announced in recent days, such as flight suspensions, border closures and quarantine for apparently healthy travellers.

Top airlines including Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa have suspended or cut back services to China.

The WHO's Emergency Committee, an advisory body of international experts, said in a statement that evidence had shown that restricting movement of people and goods during public health emergencies "may be ineffective and may divert resources from other interventions".

"Further, restrictions may interrupt needed aid and technical support, may disrupt businesses, and may have negative effects on the economies of countries affected by the emergencies," the committee said.

But it added that "in certain specific circumstances, measures that restrict the movement of people may prove temporarily useful" -- a possible reference to lockdowns within China that have affected millions of people.

WHO stopped short of declaring an emergency last week because its emergency committee was divided over the issue.

More than 7,700 people have been infected with the virus -- almost all of them in China -- and 170 have died.