Over 32,000 Indians in UAE Register to Fly Home

ABU DHABI:
More than 32,000 Indians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wishing to fly home during the COVID-19 pandemic registered their details after the Indian missions in the country launched the e-registration of expats, it was reported on Friday.

“As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, we received more than 32,000 registrations,” Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul told Gulf News.

The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Wednesday night announced they were accepting the registration. Within minutes of announcing the launch of the registration process, the site faced technical issues prompting the missions to delete the tweet about it and repost it hours later on Thursday morning.

The Consul General however, reiterated that the registration in the databank does not guarantee a seat on the initial flights that would be arranged to repatriate the most deserving categories of people. “Workers in acute distress, medical cases, pregnant women, the elderly and the group Indians stranded in Dubai Airport,” are likely to get first priority when the government resumes services for repatriation, he said.