Manama: Air India has started ticket sales directly in the UAE for the phase-4 of Vande Bharat mission, which is scheduled between July 3 and July 14.
It will be available only to Indian expats who have registered with the embassy, and should have fulfilled mandatory conditions to return home, the embassy said on Twitter. The ticket will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis, it added.
They can book their tickets on Air India's website www.airindiaexpress.in. Tickets can be purchased from the airline's booking offices in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Ajman that are managed by general sales agent Arabian Travel Agency. Tickets can also be available at authorised Air India Express ticketing agents in Dubai, the embassy said.
This is the first time in the Gulf that Air India is selling tickets directly for the Vande Bharat mission.
The latest decision comes when Vande Bahrat and Charter flights are struggling to get enough passengers from the UAE. According to reports, many of those who have registered with the Indian missions in the UAE do not want to go home. This is because the country is moving to normalcy and fears of the impediments in returning to the UAE.
Two flights, which scheduled from Abu Dhabi to Kozhikode were canceled on Saturday due to lack of passengers, according to sources. The previous day, the officials had to call more than 2,000 people to get 140 passengers each on two flights under Vande Bharat Mission. Many charter flights are facing passenger shortage, and many have withdrawn from the plan. The situation is similar in many countries in the Gulf. Messages are spreading on WhatsApp and Facebook inviting people for vacant seats.
The fourth phase has 58 flights from the UAE to India. Of these, 39 are to Kerala.
The fourth phase will focus on the Gulf, where a large number of expatriates have registered with Indian embassies to take advantage of special repatriation flights, sources said.
The Vande Bharat Mission, currently in its seventh week, has so far taken back 364,209 Indians from over 50 countries, according to Indian government sources.
