Ready to fly migrant workers from Delhi, Mumbai to Patna: SpiceJet CMD

SpiceJet has offered services of its aircraft and crew members to the government for any humanitarian mission during the 21-day lockdown and the airline is ready to operate some flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Patna to alleviate the suffering of migrant workers, especially those from Bihar, its CMD Ajay Singh said on Friday.

While domestic and international passenger flights have been banned till April 14 midnight, IndiGo and GoAir have also offered their aircraft and crew and staff members to the government for any mission required to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"We have offered our aircraft and crew for any humanitarian mission that the government needs us to fly. We are already flying food, medicines and medical equipment for government every day (on our freighter aircraft)," Singh told PTI.

"We would like to alleviate the suffering of the migrant workers, especially those from Bihar, by flying some flights between Delhi/Mumbai and Patna," he added.

Migrant workers were seen walking on foot for hundreds of kilometers across the states – be it from Delhi, Telangana or Kerala to reach their home states. To add to their pain, the local police have been strict in implementing the lockdown orders going to the extent of punishing some migrant workers who were seen on the road.

The situation is so bad that on Thursday, the Maharashtra Police found over 300 migrant workers crammed into two container trucks coming from Telangana.

The countrywide lockdown was followed by lockdown imposed by 30 out of 36 states across the country till March-end, curtailing movement of people. As industries started downing shutters, scores of migrant workers started moving out of cities to go back to their homes in other states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

India has imposed a 21-day lockdown, which came into force on Wednesday, to check the spread of the virus which has claimed 17 lives and infected over 700 people so far.