By Zahid Jadwat
The State of Qatar has announced that it will offer relief charter flights to South Africa to repatriate stranded South Africans who find themselves stuck in various parts of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. The process is expected to take off today, with flights operating to and from South Africa via the Qatari capital, Doha.
Speaking to Salaamedia, Qatari Ambassador to South Africa, Tariq Bin Ali Faraj Al-Ansari, said that the “excellent” relations between the two countries has inspired Qatar to help stranded South Africans return to their loved ones. Thousands have been stuck in various countries around the globe after the coronavirus pandemic brought international travel to a halt.
“I requested my government to help South Africa in this regard. There are excellent relations between South Africa and Qatar. The government of Qatar agreed to operate these special flights,” said Al-Ansari. He further added that this is Qatar’s opportunity to stand in solidarity with the people of South Africa during the pandemic.
“An important pillar of the State of Qatar’s strategy is international cooperation and solidarity. Of course, South Africa is important to us and it is important to maintain excellent relations. In times of hardship, that’s what friends are for.” He also said that the task of bringing South Africans back home is a lengthy process that requires much effort. He expects the repatriation process to be done with the help of several flights and that plans are being made for the process to begin as early as today.
“Many things have to be done. My team and I aren’t sleeping. We are talking about several flights starting from 5th May, but we don’t know. The numbers of passengers are increasing and there are lots of sophisticated details in preparation,” Al-Ansari mentioned.
According to Al-Ansari, Qatar Airways will facilitate the return of stranded South Africans. “Many already have bookings with Qatar Airlines and other airlines but they were refunded because of the pandemic. Qatar Airways will honour the same service with no extra cost.”
Foreigners who have been stranded in South Africa will also be repatriated to their home countries in this operation.
“There are also foreigners in South Africa who would like to go back to their homes. Many embassies are in touch with us so we can assist in repatriating them to their countries via Doha.”
For more details, please visit the Qatar Airways website.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Featured image via Qatar Airways.
