Repatriation flight brings home more Vietnamese citizens from Europe
VOV.VN - Vietnam Airlines on July 21-22 conducted a special flight to bring home nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens left stranded in Europe due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flight was jointly arranged by various Vietnamese authorities, Vietnamese representative agencies in Romania, Poland, and a number of neighbouring EU countries, Vietnam Airlines, and competent authorities of the host nations.
The majority of passengers on board the aircraft were minors under 18, elderly people, sick people suffering from underlying health issues, holidaymakers, and students who had already completed their academic year but are unable to stay due to the closure of their accommodation. They were joined by guest workers with expired visas and labour contracts, who had been left stranded in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Amid complicated developments of the pandemic and travel restrictions imposed by those countries, Vietnamese representative agencies in the EU had worked alongside competent authorities in each host nation to prepare necessary procedures for the flight and facilitate the travel of citizens to airports in Bucharest and Warsaw.
The Vietnamese Embassy in both Romania and Poland dispatched officials to the airports to assist citizens with all necessary measures before they boarded the aircraft.
In an effort to protect the health of passengers on board and prevent the possible spread of the COVID-19, Vietnam Airlines strictly implemented a range of security, safety, and epidemiology measures throughout the duration of the flight.
Upon arriving at Da Nang International Airport on July 22, all passengers and crew members underwent mandatory medical check-ups before they were subsequently transferred to quarantine facilities in line with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.
Following instructions issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese agencies, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, and domestic airlines will work together to continue conducting similar flights in an attempt to bring Vietnamese citizens left stranded overseas back to the country.
