Expats gather outside Air India office as ticket sale begins

Expats gather outside Air India office as ticket sale begins

Due to Covid-19 rules, only two to three people were allowed into the office at a given time.





Hordes of people gathered outside Air India's ticketing office in Deira, Dubai, early Monday morning as direct ticket sale of the Vande Bharat Mission went underway.

The Indian Embassy in the UAE announced on Sunday that Indian expats, who have registered with the Indian missions, can secure seats on the repatriation flights on a first-come-first-serve basis, if they fulfill the mandatory conditions to return home.

Hundreds of people made a beeline on both sides of the ticketing office as early as 8.15am, even though it opened only at 9am. The queue went all the way from the entrance of AI offices to Salahuddin metro station on the right-hand side and City Star Hotel, Deira on the left.

Due to social distancing norms, only two to three people were allowed into the office at a given time.

A majority of blue collar workers and a few families from the Indian cities of Kolkata, Lucknow, Hyderabad, and some cities in Tamil Nadu were among the ones seeking to purchase the tickets. A handful women were also present.

A few workers told Khaleej Times that they have registered