Stranded Surtis in Dubai ‘jugaad’ for a chartered plane

TNN | Apr 21, 2020, 04:00 IST

Surat: After they learned about how a few stranded Japanese nationals were flown to New Delhi from Surat in a chartered flight to help them fly back home, two Surtis — Hardik Tejani, a realtor, and Rakesh Patel, a software company owner — struck an idea. The duo now stranded in Dubai with four of their employees for the past one month made a ‘jugaad’ for a chartered plane to reach home.
However, it’s been more than a week now of following up with the Indian authorities, but they are yet to get a nod to land their chartered plane in Surat.
Talking with TOI from Dubai, Tejani, a resident of Parle Point said, “We are stuck here for almost a month now. Coronavirus cases in Dubai are increasing every day and now we fear for our safety.”
Tejani further said that after the lockdown was extended till May 3, he came to know about the Japanese nationals being flown in a chartered flight from Surat to Delhi. “Through our contacts, a business tycoon in Dubai agreed to give us his chartered plane. We have reserved his plane with the promise to pay certain amount in advance. We don’t want our government to send repatriation flight, like other countries are doing for their citizens. We only want permission to land our chartered plane at the Surat airport” Tejani pleaded.
Tejani said that they established contact with a senior Union minister and authorities in the aviation department to help them get permission to land their chartered flight in Surat. The minister wrote to the Indian consulate in Dubai, who in turn asked them to get the required permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“The airport in Dubai is ready to clear the chartered plane, but without the landing permission from DGCA, they can’t allow us to fly. They (Dubai consulate) stated that the flight operations in India have been suspended. If that is so, then how are the expatriates from other countries flying out of India?” Tejani questioned.
Tejani and Patel, close friends and business partners, had gone to Dubai for business meetings along with four of their employees on March 16 and they were scheduled to return on April 19.
But after reaching Dubai, most of the international flights to and from India were cancelled following the pandemic outbreak. The party got stranded in the foreign shores with no options to reach Surat.
“We are bearing all the expenses of the chartered plane from Dubai to Surat,” said Patel, who is missing his family of three including his six-month-old daughter, wife and a five-year-old son. “We are ready to follow all the procedures including 14-day quarantine and all required medical tests after reaching India,” Patel added.