The government will operate 149 flights from 31 countries, including the US, Australia and France, during the second phase of the repatriation of Indian citizens stranded abroad from May 16.
People will be allowed to board the flights, including feeder flights in the destination countries and within India, only after being thoroughly screened and provided they are asymptomatic for Covid-19, people familiar with developments said on Tuesday.
Vande Bharat Mission, as the repatriation programme has been dubbed, focused on the neighbouring countries such as the Maldives and Bangladesh and West Asian states like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in the first phase that began on May 7.
