India passengers’ repatriation flight pain shows that lessons have been learned

News that 70 of the 150 stranded Australian citizens in India were not allowed to board their scheduled repatriation flight last night shows that health checks for passengers on the India end have been strengthened since flights were paused.

• 70 Aussies barred from flying out of India as first repatriation flight in weeks set to return to Darwin

NEWS that 70 of the 150 stranded Australian citizens in India were not allowed to board their scheduled repatriation flight last night shows just how drawn out the process to bring people home is going to be.

There are 9000 waiting to get out and only 150 seats are available on repatriation flights at any one time.

In this case, only 80 have made the flight.

While some may say this is not good enough, it needs to be understood what is happening is for the health and safety of all Territorians and all Australians.

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Australia is a model of how to stay relatively COVID safe.

The Territory is the gold standard and we cannot risk this changing.

The decision by the Prime Minister to put a pause on repatriation flights from India because of a spike in COVID-carrying passengers was the right decision.

This is not just the NT News saying this, our lead health people at the coalface are saying it.

There needed to be a pause so the system of health checks for repatriating citizens could be improved at the India end.

Qantas flight 111 leaves Darwin International Airport on Friday on a mercy mission to bring stranded Australians home from COVID-ravaged India. Picture: Che Chorley

The fact 48 people, who would have otherwise come to Darwin with COVID-19 were they not detected pre boarding, proves what has now been put in place is working.

It is regrettable these people will have to stay in India and isolate to prove they don’t have COVID, but until such time they test negative they should not be able to fly to Darwin.