Repatriation of stranded Lankans to resume next week

• Daily flight to BIA will bring in Sri Lankan students sitting for GCE O/Ls, pregnant mothers, feeble elders, sick persons and migrant workers
• Priority to citizens stranded in the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Italy

The Government has decided to recommence the repatriation of Sri Lankans stranded overseas from next week despite the resurgence of COVID-19 within the country.

With nearly 60,000 requests made to the Government, scheduled flights will commence from 18 November, where a daily flight to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will carry Sri Lankan students who are sitting for the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O/L), pregnant mothers, feeble elders, sick persons and migrant workers.

Priority has been given to repatriate Sri Lankans stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Italy in the initial phase.

“After a long course, the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau and foreign missions overseas made submissions to the Government to recommence repatriation of Sri Lankans stranded overseas. Based on the requests made by around 56,000 Sri Lankans, the health authorities have now granted permission to bring those citizens back to the country,” Foreign Ministry on COVID-19 Action and Director General – East Asia Kandeepan Balasubramaniam told Daily FT. 

Government temporarily suspended all repatriation flights in early October after the Minuwangoda COVID-19 cluster was identified.

He said that most of the flights operating this time will be by national carrier SriLankan Airlines, but given the situation, they will also use the respective country’s airlines based on goodwill and friendship.

However, the Director General said the initial flights would only operate to BIA, Katunayake. Previously, repatriation flights were operating at both BIA, Katunayake and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) in Hambantota.

Notwithstanding the resurgence of COVID-19 in the country, Kandeepan said the Government continued its operations to bring back those Sri Lankans. “Unlike in other countries, the Government did not give up on its people stranded overseas,” he said.

He also said that 45,000 Sri Lankans stranded overseas had been repatriated from 122 countries so far.