Special flight takes 26 Bhutanese nationals home from Odisha

At least 26 Bhutanese nationals stranded in Odisha amid the COVID 19-induced lockdown left for home on Thursday in a special flight.

A Druk Air flight took off from Bengaluru with a few Bhutan-bound passengers. It landed at the Bhubaneswar airport earlier in the day, where the group of 26, who were stranded in Odisha, boarded the plane following completion of necessary formalities, a senior official said.

The aircraft finally left Biju Patnaik International Airport for Paro at 2 pm, he said.

"All stakeholders, including the Customs, immigration, CISF and others extended their cooperation for smooth transition and we ensured social distancing and cleanliness at the airport," the official said.

A student of NIT, Rourkela, who was among the 26 passengers, said he was excited to return home.

"We will be safe at home as the number of coronavirus cases is far less in Bhutan. Our embassy has communicated with us and facilitated our evacuation," he said.

Another female student from Siksha 'O' Anusandhan, a deemed-to-be university, said that she was concerned about loss of studies amid the lockdown.