Flight info

Two flights, a whole range of emotions

Over 350 Indians land in Chennai on two late-night flights from Dubai

10/05/2020, SUNITHA SEKAR,CHENNAI

The passengers finished immigration procedures, gave their swab samples, and left for quarantine centres. Special Arrangement

Velmurugan, in his 50s, left Tirunelveli with his brother-in-law on Thursday, for Chennai. The journey was rather painful, as he was to receive his 29-year-old daughter V. Kollammal, who was arriving from Dubai along with the mortal remains of her husband L.M. Kumar.

“It is a long journey back and a tough road ahead for us. I don’t know how to comfort her. It is heart-wrenching for me see these events unfold at this age of my life,” he said. His daughter and son-in-law were living in Dubai and were to celebrate their third anniversary next month.

Ms. Kollammal was among the 358 Indian nationals flown to Chennai by two flights from Dubai at 12.30 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on Saturday. After completing the procedures at the airport, she and her father have now left for their home town.

The remaining passengers finished the immigration procedures, gave authorities their swab samples, and then left for quarantine centres. All of them were given a choice of free quarantine accommodation offered by the government or paying and staying in a hotel.

Options given

While nearly 230 passengers were taken to a college campus on the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road, 102 opted to stay in a hotel in Periyamet which will cost them ₹1,500 a day. The remaining checked into a luxury hotel in Guindy. All passengers were taken by bus and would remain in quarantine for two weeks at these locations.

For 30-year-old Suganya Saravanan, the homecoming is rather special and crucial as she is expecting to deliver soon. It was a hurried decision — after receiving a mail from the Indian embassy, her husband quickly booked tickets for her to return home. “It was a smooth process. From staff at the Dubai and Chennai airports to co-passengers, everyone helped me and didn’t even allow me to lift my baggage,” she said.

The flight itself was a unique experience, as almost everyone was clad in personal protective equipment, she said. “As soon as we entered the aircraft, we were given a new set of gloves and masks. The food — a sandwich and cake — and water were already placed in each seat. The crew was fantastic,” she added. After spending two weeks in quarantine, she will return to Puducherry for the birth of her child.