The Indonesian Embassy in Cairo has facilitated the repatriation of 75 Indonesians who had been stranded in Egypt.
AA charter flight of Air Cairo carrying the Indonesian citizens departed from Cairo on Saturday 25th April, at 2:45pm local time and arrived at Jakarta airport on Sunday at 10:35am WIB.
The repatriation was initiated by the government of Egypt which had planned to evacuate 80 of its citizens who were stranded in Jakarta and Bali due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Egypt Foreign Ministry has offered to transport Indonesians from Egypt using a chartered airplane that will evacuate Egyptians from Indonesia. We have made communication since March 2020,” said the Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Helmy Fauzy, in a statement.
Air Cairo, a low-cost carrier and subsidiary of EgyptAir, charged US$700 per person for the repatriation, paid for by the passengers. “At first, the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo received 100 applications for the repatriation. But after the embassy informed applicants that the repatriation flight would be prioritised for those urgently needing to return home, the number reduced to 75,” said the ambassador.
Some of the stranded Indonesian citizens had been participating in an Arabic course, students who have finished their study, a lecturer of Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesian tourists involved in accidents and were being treated in Egypt, and migrant workers.
The Indonesian Embassy has coordinated with the central and local governments to help the Indonesians to return to East Java, Central Java, West Java, Jakarta, Bali, Aceh, and West Sumatra.
Source: Antara News
Image: CNN Indonesia