Tajikistan’s privately owned air carrier Somon Air operated a special flight Friday (May 29) morning to bring 90 Tajik nationals from New Delhi to Dushanbe. They were undergoing medical treatment in India and they have been stuck there due to the COVID-19 crisis.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the flight was operated following the order by President Emomali Rahmon.
Only one Tajik national reportedly remained in India. He was not allowed on board because of fever.
Recall, Tajik nationals stuck in India wrote a letter to Asia-Plus on April 19, noting that more than 90 Tajik nationals have been stuck in India due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Among them are elderly people, patients with diabetes and hypertension, cancer patients, students and children.
As it had been reported earlier, the Government of India organized a special flight of Air India on May 27 to repatriate Tajik citizens stranded in India and Indian citizens stranded in Tajikistan.
The flight AI-1983 brought home 45 Tajik citizens, who were studying under various courses sponsored by the Government of India and were unable to return home due to Covid19 crisis and closure of airports in both India and Tajikistan. On return, the flight carried 143 Indian citizens from Dushanbe to Kannur (Kerala)
On May 28, a second special flight of Air India took another 143 Indian citizens from Dushanbe to Jaipur (Rajasthan). One Tajik citizen, who studied in India in the framework of ITEC (Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation) program, arrived in Dushanbe by this special Air India flight on May 28.
Tajikistan began bringing back its nationals from other countries on May 20. Over the past several days, Tajik nationals have been brought back from various cities of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.
