Latest group of Bahrainis returns from Iran on Gulf Air flight

Bahrain's national carrier has evacuated the latest group of Bahrainis from Iran amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The eighth group of Bahrainis arrived in the country yesterday onboard a Gulf Air flight directly from Shiraz.

The Health Ministry said the flight, which landed at Bahrain International Airport, was part of the government’s International Covid-19 Repatriation Programme (ICRP).

The programme is an evacuation plan for citizens stranded abroad due to the outbreak of virus.

In a separate statement issued yesterday, Gulf Air announced that it has started direct flights to Iran as part of the evacuation programme.

“Gulf Air has successfully returned Bahraini citizens from the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Turkey,” it said.

“Additionally, the ICRP has been safely repatriating citizens from countries with high coronavirus infection rates for over a month.

“Of the locations covered by the ICRP, Iran has seen the largest number of repatriation flights.

Return

“Consequently, Gulf Air has begun operating direct flights to Iran to expedite the safe return of citizens.”

The national carrier has also urged Bahrainis wanting to return home to contact the Foreign Affairs Ministry or Bahrain’s embassies abroad to register their details.

“Gulf Air currently operates a reduced version of its network with flights to and from London, Paris, Frankfurt and Manila to assist passengers from its global network to get home safely,” it added.

“‎‏Gulf Air is working closely with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the embassies of Bahrain abroad, the Health Ministry and the authorities in Bahrain International Airport to facilitate the travel of Bahrainis into the kingdom.”

Measures

The airline said it continues to monitor the situation closely with all stakeholders and is working closely with the authorities concerned on taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety and security of the citizens and residents along with its passengers and crew.

The GDN previously reported on the country’s two-month plan to bring back Bahrainis from Iran and other countries.

Around 3,000 out of the 43,699 Bahrainis currently living, working, studying and stranded abroad have expressed their desire to return home amid the pandemic and have registered with ICRP.

The government last month said there were 1,630 Bahrainis stranded in Iran, 213 citizens in Egypt, 364 in Jordan, 250 in the UK, 68 in Germany, 56 in Russia, 54 in Thailand and 34 in Saudi Arabia, while the remaining are in various other countries.

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