Pune: On May 10, Air India flight AI144 took off from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and 14 hours later, dropped its approximately 330 passengers to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
This was no ordinary flight. It was one of the first flights from the US to India to be run as part of the Vande Bharat Mission, in which the Modi government is repatriating thousands of Indians stranded overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the end of it, passengers expressed varying sentiments.
Some thought the entire exercise was extremely disorganised. Others marvelled at the Indian government’s ability to pull off such a pervasive repatriation effort at such short notice.
Some complained about the exorbitant prices charged, saying they were being exploited during this time of crisis. Others admitted there was nothing wrong with the government charging overseas Indians who were relatively well off higher prices, since they could afford it.
But one sentiment underlay everything, and was common to all: Everyone was grateful to be back home.
AI144 is one of seven non-scheduled commercial flights from the US to various cities across India in what the government has announced is the first phase of the evacuation, from May 9 to 15.
Air India’s evacuation flights ran from Singapore, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UK, before coming to the US.
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Running at full capacity, AI144 failed to maintain social distancing en route, but it did the next best thing: it provided comprehensive personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to each passenger – including a mask, plastic face covering and gloves – to be worn over the course of the journey.
“We were so cramped together on the flight that social distancing was a joke,” said one passenger who wished to remain anonymous.
“See, it’s in our own hands to maintain social distancing. Air India gave us PPE. What more could they do?” said another passenger, who asked that her name be withheld.
Social distancing inside the airport. Photo: Neha Mehrotra
The Air India staff themselves wore fully covered hazmat suits and oversaw a largely self-serviced flight, with passengers provided with a set of three prepackaged meals, and asked to stow their own luggage and close overhead compartments themselves.
There was no in-flight entertainment and passengers were asked to keep interpersonal interactions to the minimum.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), tickets were issued on a priority basis to migrant workers who have been laid off, short-term visa holders whose visas are expiring, those undergoing medical emergencies, pregnant women, elderly, those required to return to India due to a family death, and students. The faces on the flight reflected this, with a particularly large number of students and elderly.
Evacuating those who can afford it
An unsaid criteria, not explicitly cited in the MHA notice, was the ability to pay: $1,300 (approximately Rs 1,00,000) for the flight itself, followed by the cost of the ensuing 14-day compulsory quarantine at either a hospital or a government-approved paid facility.
The cheapest hotel for mandatory quarantine in Mumbai costs Rs 2,500 per night, three meals included. For 14 days, that comes up to Rs 35,000.
Passengers are given a choice of a range of hotels to quarantine at, the more expensive of which include high-end establishments like the Taj at Rs 4,500 per night.
“The cost of the flight was too high,” said Prakhar Adhyaru, a resident of Pune. “I thought that since the cost was so high, at least they would maintain social distancing. But that didn’t happen either.”
Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, disagreed.
“I travel quite frequently for my work, and I usually pay $1,500 for a direct flight from Newark to Mumbai,” he said. “Considering this, I think they charged us a reasonable price. They couldn’t have made too much of a profit. And I’m not saying that they shouldn’t make a profit. Why shouldn’t they?”
Passport and security check.
The Indian embassy in the US had asked all stranded Indians to fill out a ‘Registration Form for Indian Nationals,’ and claimed its selection procedure included singling out priority cases amongst those registered, and consolidating final evacuees through a lottery system.
However, the form included a declaration of consent – that in case of any flights arranged from the US to India, the passengers agree to not only undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine but also “bear the expenditure of travel and mandatory quarantine for self and family members.”
Without signing the following declaration, one could not submit the form. So the list of those who register automatically excludes those who cannot afford to pay, either for the flight itself or for the subsequent quarantine.
Lack of transparency
Apart from the expense, there were other problems with the evacuation effort.
For starters, the selection procedure was mired in suspicion due to a lack of transparency regarding who drew up the final shortlist and how.
The pre-flight period was also fraught with chaos: some passengers received notice of their place on the flight two days before its departure. Others were informed of their ticket six hours prior to the flight.
One student, Meenketan Jha, was called and informed of his place on the flight hours before takeoff. “This is so disorganised,” said Jha. “No one knows what’s happening.”
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Payments were to be carried out through account transfers, and failing that, using credit cards. Debit cards were not accepted.
Some payments did not go through. Others received no confirmation of payment or ticket after transferring the money, and arrived at the airport all the same, hoping for the best.
Prakhar Adhyaru’s credit card was charged twice by Air India. Since then, he’s been trying to get a hold of someone from the airline to correct the error, but has been unable to.
For those who made it on to the flight, there was still more to come.
The plane landed in Mumbai at 2 am on the morning of May 12.
This was followed by a long wait. Air India released passengers from the plane in lots of 30 at a time.
Each lot first went through a temperature check overseen by the health department.
Next, the Bombay Municipal Corporation ensured all passengers downloaded the Aarogya Setu app, mandated by the government for all Indian citizens to register their own details and track those of others in their vicinity.
This was a particularly troublesome nodal point. You need an Indian sim card to register on the app. Most passengers coming from the US did not have an Indian sim card.
Jio and Airtel counters had been set up, where functionaries were installing new sim cards. The counter accepted only cash (Indian rupees), which created another hold up. Passengers scrambled around, asking each other for Indian rupees, and either transferring money to their creditors in return, or promising to pay later.
This was followed by immigration, baggage collection and finally, registration at the quarantine counter where you were offered a selection of hotels to quarantine at.
Based on the hotel you chose, you were shuttled to the corresponding bus and shipped off.
Bus from Chhatrapti Shivaji International Airport to the quarantine centre. Photo: Neha Mehrotra
Those from the city, its suburbs and from out of the state of Maharashtra had to compulsory quarantine in Mumbai.
Others, from elsewhere in the state – Pune, Sangli, Satara – were offered the option of quarantining in their own cities.
“If I have one complaint, it is that we spent too much time at the airport,” said the passenger who had earlier said that he thought Air India had charged a reasonable price for the ticket. “And after we got out, the transport to the hotels could have been managed better.”
Since this passenger was travelling to Pune, he was shepherded from the airport to a state transport bus that would take him to a hotel in Wakad, Pune.
“The bus was horrible. They should have been sensitive to the mindset of the people on the bus. Since most are coming from the US, they have a greater expectation of comfort,” he said. According to him, the government should have organised an air-conditioned bus. “At least a Shivneri.”
The confusion of the entire ordeal was mitigated by heartwarming shows of solidarity by passengers towards each other. Strangers offered to lend money to students to pay for last-minute flight tickets. People freely lent their phones, chargers and cash, without so much as a “When will you pay me back?”
Even airport and government employees tried to accommodate wherever possible. Don’t have cash to pay for the bus ticket to the hotel? Doesn’t matter. Have an extra bag you simply cannot get rid of? We’ll waive the two-bag limit. Unable to register on the Aarogya Setu app? It’s okay, jointly register with a friend.
Everyone was adapting on the go.