Ras Al Khaimah International Airport repatriates 53,000 Indian citizens since June

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport today announced that it has helped secure the return home of more than 53,000 Indian citizens since the beginning of June, in part thanks to His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, who issued a directive to cover the full cost of transport to the airport for any Indian expatriate who is looking to return home as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Operating special repatriation flights in conjunction with the Indian government and Indian carrier SpiceJet, RAK Airport’s efforts to assist Indian nationals to return home on completion of their employment contracts have propelled it to the fore of the UAE’s repatriation efforts.

"The UAE is sparing no effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all its people and Ras Al Khaimah is part of the country’s drive to be at the forefront of the global response to this pandemic," said His Highness Sheikh Saud.

"Our emirate is a longstanding friend of the Indian government and its honourable people and we are always ready to help. With this in mind, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport has been playing an important role in the Indian Government’s initiative to repatriate its residents. SpiceJet and RAK Airport staff have shown great dedication in their work and for this, I am truly grateful," he added.

"RAK Airport commenced special charter evacuation flights at the beginning of June and to date has flown back Indians and their families in almost 300 flights operated by SpiceJet. The tremendous support we have received from His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Indian Ambassador and Consul-General, and our airline partner SpiceJet, has facilitated us to serve stranded Indians and enable then to travel home seamlessly and effortlessly," said Sanjay Khanna, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

The special charter flights by SpiceJet are returning up to 185 passengers at a time to 21 destinations across India; Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Kozhikode, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kochi, Gaya, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kannur, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangaluru, New Delhi, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, for supporting us in our endeavour, which has served to further cement the already strong bonds that India enjoys with Ras Al Khaimah," said Ajay Singh, CMD SpiceJet.

Among the many advantages that Ras Al Khaimah International Airport promotes over the other UAE passenger airports are its cost savings for travellers and the fact that it has no slot restrictions, meaning that airlines are not obliged to have to accept slots made available to them, as is often the case at other hubs.

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