SriLankan Airlines said it will operate special flights from India’s Amritsar, Coimbatore, Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore  and Nepal’s  Kathmandu to bring home 433 Sri Lankan students who have been stranded overseas due to the prevailing travel restrictions imposed in view of the COVID 19 pandemic.

"These special flights are being operated as part of the Government of Sri Lanka’s programme to bring back Sri Lankan students stranded in foreign countries and are being carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the statement said. 

The Airline earlier operated several such flights to bring home pilgrims and students stranded in several countries, including a group of students who were trapped in Wuhan during the early days of the pandemic.

Accordingly, on 21^st April 93 Sri Lankans from Lahore and 20 from Karachi are scheduled to return on flight UL1206. On 23^rd April a further 101 will be flown back from Amritsar on flight UL146. Two more special flights, both on 24^th April, will bring back 117 Sri Lankans from Coimbatore on flight UL194 and 93 more from Katmandu on UL 1425.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissions in these states have obtained permission from the respective civil aviation authorities to operate these special flights. The returnees will be handed over on arrival in Sri Lanka to the care of Sri Lanka’s health authorities, armed forces and other relevant institutions, for necessary procedures.