Australia to resume repatriation flights from India from May 15

Australia will be lifting its ban on repatriation flights from India from May 15. The flights will resume from May 15 with one flight per 7-9 days, with an estimated 1,000 Australians returning by the end of June. Vulnerable Australians will be prioritised on these flights. An initial repatriation flight will leave from India to Darwin on May 15, while two other repatriation flights will be scheduled from India to the Northern Territory during this month. Standing by his decision for flight suspension barring any travel to and from India, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the flight suspension had given the quarantine system space to operate safely and to protect Australians from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the travel pause remaining in place until May 15 with no changes. “The global Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage outside Australia’s borders and the temporary pause on flights continues to give our quarantine facilities time to reduce infection rates and reduce the risk of Covid escaping into the community. Closing our international borders and the use of quarantine for returning Australians has protected the health of all Australians during the pandemic and given us a way of life that is the envy of the world,” Morisson said. The Australian government’s decision to suspend all flights and the subsequent announcement of a jail term and heavy financial penalty for those who attempted to breach the travel ban by flying from another South Asia country had drawn widespread criticism.