Highlights
- Maximum flights to Australia have departed from New Delhi
- Those wanting to fly from Mumbai, a major airport, are feeling 'disadvantaged'
- 'Our compelling case got me exemption, but no flight yet' says father-to-be
Since May, 26 special flights have been operated from India to bring back Australian citizens and residents, out of which 17 have flown out of India’s capital city, New Delhi.
Over 6,000 people have been able to travel from India to Australia, the Australian High Commission in India tweeted on June 6. Most of these passengers had boarded flights from New Delhi.
These statistics are becoming a growing concern amongst people who are stuck in other parts of the country, especially in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Out of 24, Mumbai has seen off only three repatriation flights to Australia, in addition to three from Chennai and one from Kolkata. Two more are scheduled to fly out of Chennai in the coming days.
A group getting increasingly visible on Indian social is ‘Mumbai to Australia’. It comprises nearly 400 members, mostly Australian citizens and residents, waiting to fly out of Mumbail.
Despite being one of the busiest airports in the world, it has not seen many flights take off for Australia during the COVID-19 rescue operation being conducted by the Australian government.
‘Exemption given but no flight’
One member of this group is Ajit Singh Kang, a Mumbai-based data analyst, has been granted exemption from Australia's travel restrictions, so that he can reunite with his pregnant wife in Melbourne, who is an Australian citizen.
But for that, he needs to be able to board a plane.
“I have a compelling reason to travel to Australia. My tourist visa took three months to process. I can understand the delay. The Australian Consulate has been very helpful and considerate. But if there’s no flight from Mumbai, how can I make use of that exemption,” asks Mr Kang.
A screenshot of the letter sent to Mr Kang by the Department of Home Affairs. Source: Supplied
His wife, Inderpreet Kaur, is currently off work due to her health conditions.
“I’m five months pregnant. I have helicobacter infection and low iron. My mum is old and has had a hip replacement. My sister is a single mum and works on a rotating roster. I need to be cared for as I get tired very easily,” says Ms Kaur.
“Today I went for my scan and it was such a beautiful moment to see our baby. But I missed my husband a lot. I want our family to be reunited but our life is now fixated on a flight from Mumbai,” adds the early childhood educator.
'Mumbai is at a disadvantage'
Malita Chabria, also currently stuck in Mumbai, travelled to India after eight years in March. Little did she know that this trip would last longer than her plan.
“People in India’s western region are wondering how a city like Mumbai can be so low on Australia’s list. We feel those who can fly from New Delhi are at an advantage,” she remarks.
Malita Chabria is stuck with her family in India. Source: Supplied
“There was a flight from Mumbai last week, which got booked out in less than five minutes! That explains the scramble there is in this part of India amongst travellers to Australia,” she says.
Challenges in domestic travel
The challenges to travel to places like New Delhi are numerous, say members of the group. In addition, the rising number of coronavirus cases in India is causing anxiety to these people.
“India’s domestic flight situation isn’t reliable these days. There are other challenges like the recent cyclone Nisarga in Mumbai which put life out of gear for a couple of days. After that comes the mandatory quarantine we’ll have to undergo in New Delhi,” adds Mr Chabria.
Ms Chabria also says that to get to New Delhi, only Air India flights are being considered by members of the group because they land at the international departure terminal.
“We are told that even if you change terminals, you are required to quarantine between them. How can one proceed under such conditions,” she wonders.
Another member of the ‘Mumbai to Australia’ social media group, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she took a chance and lost a large amount of money.
“I booked ourselves on the New Delhi-Melbourne flight and then bought tickets of a private Indian airline to reach New Delhi from Mumbai. The domestic flight got cancelled, because of which we missed the Melbourne flight which we had got with great difficulty,” she complains.
Mumbai flights: a work in progress
Those waiting to fly to Australia have been in touch with the Australian High Commission on social media to find a solution to their problem.
Rod Hilton, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, addressed this concern on Twitter on May 19.
A Twitter interaction between the Australian Deputy High Commissioner to India and passengers wanting to fly out from Mumbai to Australia. Source: Twitter
“In our recent survey, 18 per cent respondents selected Mumbai as their preferred destination point. From tomorrow, 18 per cent of our flights will have been from Mumbai,” states a part of his tweet.
A respondent to Mr Hilton’s tweet reacted by asking for “at least 2 flights from Mumbai.”
Many members of the group feel that two flights out of Mumbai can solve their problem.
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