The flights are being organised by travel management company CTM which says the following about the Delhi flights.

“CTM is working on the authorisation of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to help as many UK-resident British Nationals as possible to return home from Delhi.

“If you are a British National who normally resides in the UK and currently visiting Delhi, and you wish to return the UK, please use this online form to provide your details.

“Special return flights have been arranged for Thurday, 9th April. If you complete this registration, you should have your bags packed and be prepared to depart Delhi by the afternoon of Wednesday, 8th April.

“Please note that registration does not guarantee a place on a flight.  You will be sent further information if you are allocated a flight. Those who are not allocated a place on a flight will be put on a waitlist for the next available set of flights.

“These flights are offered to UK travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependants (spouses and children, regardless of nationality, only). Anyone found not eligible to fly will be denied boarding and we reserve the right to deduct an administration fee before offering any refund.

“Please begin by selecting the number of travellers for whom you are registering and then proceed by completing individual registrations for each traveller. The cost of the flight is £581.00 for each traveller and infants, under the age of 2, will travel free of charge.”

The cost of flights from Goa is £681.00 and from Mumbai £600.

Reports say that the FCO is working with 14 commercial airlines to organise rescue flights form around the world.

Speaking in the tweet, Jan Thompson says,

“Next week is just the start. We will not be able to get everyone home immediately so please bear with us.”

A significant problem is the India lockdown which prevents people from travelling around India.

It means those citizens waiting for relief from, for instance, the Punjab or Gujarat will now be helped by these flights.

To those people, the FCO says,

“We are looking to arrange flights from other locations in India, where we know there are large numbers of British nationals. We will run flights based on need and circumstance.”

• To book flights and register their details, British nationals should use the following city-specific webpages: Goa, Mumbai and New Delhi
  • Movement within India is currently very restricted. Travellers should only apply for flights leaving from the state they are currently in.
  • These flights are for UK travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependants.
  • A number of seats will be reserved for those deemed vulnerable. Individuals in this group will be contacted directly.
  • Details regarding luggage allowance, flight costs and carriers will be available on the booking portal.
• The UK continues to work with partners to secure seats for British nationals on flights that other countries are running. On 4 April, 113 of the most vulnerable British nationals left Goa on an Irish flight.
• An estimated 35,000 British Nationals are currently in India. Over 20,000 have told us they wish to return to the UK as soon as possible.
• In response to the unprecedented travel restrictions in place worldwide, the UK Government on 30 March announced a new partnership with airlines to enable British travellers to fly home. Where commercial routes do not exist, the Government will provide up to £75 million to enable special charter flights to bring home UK residents.
• British nationals in India are advised to follow our travel advice and social media channels for the latest information, and to call the following consular numbers if they require immediate assistance:

Media

For media queries, email: BHCMediaDelhi@fco.gov.uk