Spl flight from Doha with 146 passengers lands at Gaya airport

A special repatriation flight from Doha carrying 146 Indians landed at Gaya international airport on Monday, as part of the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

Of the 146 who returned from the Qatar capital, 141 are from Bihar and five from neighbouring Jharkhand, Gaya Airport Director Dilip Kumar said.

Passports of all passengers were collected at the immigration counter by district officials and each of them was given an acknowledgement receipt and a 'Vande Bharat' kit comprising sanitisers, soaps among other items, he said.

After completing all formalities, the district administration sent the 141 returnees of Bihar to quarantine centres here, where they would have to maintain self-isolation for the next 14 days, Kumar said.

Several hotels in Gaya have been converted into quarantine centres for the purpose, a district official said.

Five from Jharkhand left for their homes in a vehicle sent by the state, he said.

"None of those that returned from Doha today exhibited any COVID-19 symptom during thermal screening at the airport," the official said.

Earlier, on May 24, a special plane carrying 132 Indians from Muscat had landed at Gaya airport.

On May 18, a group of 41 Indians from London had reached Gaya in a chartered plane.