SEPANG: Malaysia Airlines deployed two rescue flights on Thursday to ferry Dutch nationals stranded in Nepal and the Philippines back to their home nation.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, both nations had instituted stringent entry and movement restrictions, the national carrier said in a statement here today.
It said Nepal had barred the arrival and departure of all international flights to the nation till April 12 whereas in the Philippines it had instituted a travel ban on all foreign nationals to enter or transit through the Asean bloc nation.
Chartered by the Netherlands government, Malaysia Airlines has been operating chartered rescue flights to Kuala Lumpur for Dutch nationals.
It said that once in KLIA, the passengers board a repatriation flight operated by Dutch national carrier KLM that will transport them back home to Amsterdam.
There are currently 4 such repatriation flights scheduled on KLM’s behalf, it said.
Malaysia Airlines said flight MH8731 from Kathmandu arrived in KLIA on Tuesday at 7pm, carrying 122 passengers. It was operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 5 crew onboard.
It said flight MH8675 from Cebu arrived in KLIA today at 4.05pm, ferrying 54 Dutch nationals, operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 5 crew onboard.
Additionally, Malaysia Airlines said it also picked up Dutch nationals from various cities in Australia and New Zealand, allowing for them to be repatriated home with more ease and convenience.
Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Captain Izham Ismail said in this time of global emergency, everyone should come together to help one another, through international cooperation and support.
“We have a long history with the Netherlands national carrier KLM, from partnering with them to offer flights to Australasia. We hope that this rescue operation runs smoothly, and we are glad to have played an active part in ensuring that everyone can go home to their families,” he said.
Also, in association with Wisma Putra, Malaysia Airlines said it launched a rescue flight into Medan, Indonesia.
A total of 158 Malaysian citizens were repatriated, with 144 of them being students studying in Medan, Aceh and Sumatera. They arrived in KLIA on Tuesday aboard MH865 at 5.50pm, operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 5 crew onboard.
As the national carrier and flagbearer of the nation, Malaysia Airlines said it was actively involved in the repatriation of Malaysian citizens from all around the globe in this worldwide pandemic.
It still operates domestic operations to connect Malaysia, despite the drop in demand, with both domestic and international operations running at a minimum level, it added.