Australia suspends commercial flights to India until May 15 due to COVID crisis

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia will pause commercial flights from India until May 15 due to the country’s COVID outbreak.

The return of many Australians stranded in India has been delayed at least three weeks with all flights from the COVID-19 stricken country paused amid a mass humanitarian crisis.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced all flights from India would be cancelled until May 15, due to the increased risk of the virus spreading from the “high risk” country.

“This will impact directly on two passenger services from India into Sydney and two repatriation flights from India to Darwin in this impacting around 500 arrivals,” he said.

“Further flights to India will be considered prior to the 15 May with a focus on supporting vulnerable Australians, in particular in relation to charter flights that have been put in place by the Australian government.”

Mr Morrison said Australia had to ensure it had “integrity” in its hotel quarantine arrangements before it could resume flights form India.

“We need to know the load is manageable so we can take more people down the track,” he said.

“We’ll resume the repatriation flights from India, that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

Australia will send India 500 ventilators, a million surgical masks, 500,000 PPE masks, 100,000 surgical gowns, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 face shields from the national stockpile.

Mr Morrison said the government would also procure 100 oxygen concentrators with tanks and deliver to India over the course of the next week.

Mr Morrison said the situation in India was “heartbreaking”

Prime Minister says the Indian situation is “heartbreaking”. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences and our support to the nation of India,” he said.

“They are dear friends of Australia and we will stand with them during this terrible crisis and for all Australians who are caught up in this terrible set of events.”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said there were currently 9,000 Australians registered in India, including 650 listed as “vulnerable” who wanted to return home.

A health worker walks past the funeral pyres of COVID-19 victims during a mass cremation in New Delhi. Picture: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

“As you would expect in the circumstances, this number will increase in the coming days and weeks as people and their circumstances change,” she said.

“Our (diplomatic) posts will be redoubling their efforts to maintain contact with Australian citizens in India, to make sure they are informed about travel settings, any changes and assistance programs.”

The decision to suspend flights was made at a National Security Committee meeting on Tuesday morning, where senior Cabinet ministers discussed all possible options for helping India and Australians still trying to return home from the country now ravaged by COVID-19.

People are seen next to burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the coronavirus at an open crematorium in Bangalore, India. Picture: Manjunath Kiran / AFP

A cremation ground in New Delhi is filled with victims who lost their lives to COVID-19. Picture: Jewel SAMAD / AFP

More than 350,000 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in India in just one day, as the country’s hospitals run out of oxygen struggling to cope with the number of seriously ill patients.

About 17,000 Australian citizens in India have come home since the pandemic began, and a further 8,000 are still trying to return, which reduces the likelihood of a hard border closure.

Family members embrace each other amid burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 coronavirus at a cremation ground in New Delhi in India. Picture: Jewel SAMAD / AFP

When Australia closed to China in the early weeks of the pandemic, the Commonwealth still co-ordinated repatriation flights for citizens, including out of the virus ground-zero city, Wuhan.

On Monday Health Minister Greg Hunt described India as “literally gasping for oxygen”.

“They are dying and unable to breathe,” he said.

“I think it is very important that we are sensitive to the suffering that (the Indian community) face and their friends and their family and their loved ones overseas face,” he said.