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Swiss Airlines on Thursday launched a special repatriation flight, LX154, from Zurich to Mumbai and New Delhi to repatriate stranded Swiss nationals in different parts of India. SWISS is operating these flights on behalf of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of a complete lockdown to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic on March 24, rail, road, water and air transport has been shut till April 15. The move has left thousands of international tourists stranded in different parts of India.
The Swiss Airlines flight left Zurich at 4:00 PM CET on April 8 and arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai at around 12:15 am local time on April 9. The flight, LX8915, operating on a wide-bodied A330 aircraft, will depart Mumbai at 9:45 pm local time on April 9, arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi shortly past midnight on April 10.
The return flight, LX147 from Delhi to Zurich, will depart at 1:35 am local time the same day (April 10), carrying Swiss and other European nationals home at a time when no international flights are operating to and from India due to the global air traffic lockdown.
SWISS,serves over 100 destinations in 45 countries from Zurich and Geneva, carrying some 19 million passengers a year with its fleet of around 90 aircraft. Since March 14, Lufthansa Group airlines – SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and Eurowings – have flown around 220 special flights, carrying more than 40,000 holidaymakers back to their home countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium.
Speaking on the special repatriation flight, George Ettiyil , Senior Director Sales South Asia – Lufthansa Group , said, “Lufthansa Group airlines are an integral part of the critical infrastructure of their home countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. As a responsible corporate citizen, we are tasked with the duty and privilege to bring people back to their homes in this time of unprecedented global crisis. We are thankful to be able to help the government officials in India and Switzerland with this special flight.”
Over 70 further flights are being planned by the airline.
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