Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the government is not planning to help travel agents trying to organise private charter flights for New Zealanders stranded in India.
She said the government is waiting to see whether commercial flights out of India will come back on stream after being paused.
Travel agencies and the Indian community are reported to be organising flights to repatriate New Zealanders from India which could be ready to go by the end of the month if they get approval from officials here.
Ardern said she was aware of that but the government had no plans to facilitate such flights because commercial flights may come back on stream.
“I would also highlight that there are some who are managing to find a path through [from India to New Zealand], travel agents have been able to support people with that so I would just urge people to use those options as well.”
Ardern said citizens are able to return to New Zealand and the current situation is to do with the fact the commercial operators, mainly Emirates, have paused their flights.
She said Emirates has said flights would be paused until the end of this month.
“So let’s see if they continue with that pause or whether they lift it, but as I say there are other airlines that have provided pathways … but let’s be very clear this is not something New Zealand has done, it’s just simply commercial operators have changed the way they’re operating.”
Some of the charter flights only become viable when there are several hundred people wanting to travel, Ardern said.
“My view is it’s more likely the commercial operations will come back on stream before we see something like a charter of that scale organised.”
Ardern said the government has repatriated thousands of New Zealanders but also warned people not to travel because they may not be able to get them out of a…