Go-ahead given for flights out of India

Nearly 1000 Australians stuck in India could be brought home on up to six repatriation flights by the end of the month.

Harjinder Singh Mandair, right, has been separated from his four-year-old son who has been stranded in India with his grandparents since September 2019. Picture: Supplied

Nearly 1000 Australians stuck in India could be brought home on up to six repatriation flights by the end of the month, after Scott Morrison pledged to next week lift his government’s flight ban and emergency powers preventing citizens from returning.

There are about 9500 Australians registered with the government as wanting to return from India, including 173 unaccompanied minors listed among 950 vulnerable people.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly warned weekly cases of COVID-19 in India could actually be 20 million to 60 million, a dramatic increase from the official two-million figure.

“Looking at the pressure it’s putting on the health system in India, particularly oxygen supplies but also just the ability for people to get just the basic healthcare, these are terrible scenes,” Professor Kelly told the Senate’s COVID committee.

“I’m sure the numbers, horrific as they are, are an underestimate and this is a very large second wave that is occurring in India right now. So well over two million cases a week (officially), you could times by 10 or even 30 I would say on a basis of positivity rate.”

The Prime Minister has faced a sustained backlash against the bans on repatriation and commercial flights, as well as possible jail time and a hefty fine for Australians who enter the country within two weeks of being in India. After the national security committee of cabinet met on Thursday night, Mr Morrison announced the federal government would organise three repatriation flights from next Saturday.

The Department of Foreign ­Affairs and Trade confirmed they would run on May 15, 23 and 30, with about 150 passengers on each flight going to the Howard Springs quarantine centre on the outskirts of Darwin.

“The charters will be undertaken by Australian crews and they will require rapid antigen testing (of COVID-19) prior to ­departure,” Mr Morrison said.  “By arranging those returns to Australia through … the most secure channel we can provide for, that will mitigate the risk of potentially higher rates of infection presenting on arrival in Australia and ensure the quarantine team system will continue to be able to­ ­receive continued repatriation flights in the weeks and months ahead.”

NSW, Victoria and Queensland were also preparing to accept returned Australians from India under federally facilitated commercial flights likely using Qantas, ensuring another three planeloads of people could arrive this month.

Direct commercial flights remain on pause and will be reviewed next week.

Following accusations the flights ban was immoral and unconstitutional, Mr Morrison spoke with Indian Prime Minister ­Narendra Modi on Friday and said Australia intended to provide “as much further assistance as we possibly can”.

Mr Morrison tweeted that Australia would not “forget India’s generosity in exporting vaccines” and that Mr Modi had “thanked Australia for standing by India” during the pandemic.

DFAT officials conceded a travel ban could be introduced again if infection case numbers in Howard Springs went above 50.

The government expects there to be no coronavirus cases at Howard Springs by next Saturday.

Stranded Australians in India on Friday called on the government to provide a comprehensive repatriation plan, warning all citizens in the COVID-ravaged country were vulnerable.

Harjinder Singh Mandair has been separated from his four-year-old son, who has been stranded in India with his grandparents since September 2019.

He said his son missed his family terribly and Mr Mandair was worried about him not having a ­relationship with his sister.

“All those affections and connections a brother and sister should have are not happening,” Mr Mandair said.