SriLankan Airlines yesterday (25) repatriated 163 students from Mumbai in its mission to bring back students stranded overseas due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.
Flight UL 144 arrived with the students at the BIA around 2.30pm yesterday.
Another 290 students were brought earlier from India, Pakistan and Nepal. More flights will be flown to Coimbatore, Dhaka, Bangalore and Delhi between today and 29th of this month.
An official attached to the airlines, addressing the criticism it received from the public regarding pricey tickets charged from the students, said they were operating the flights following the request of students and their parents, and with special permission from the Government.
“The flights are flown empty to bring back these students. It involves a cost and therefore we have to charge for the tickets,” he said.
Speaking about the ‘mission of mercy’ that operated to repatriate students from Wuhan, he said it was a special project and the cost of the flight was borne by the Government.
Thirty three students were flown back from Wuhan in China early February.