The Tribune

A REPATRIATION flight left The Bahamas on Tuesday, carrying more than 75 foreign nationals.

The flight was a special charter organised by the Cayman Islands, the Philippines and the British High Commission. The flight from Cayman to London stopped in Nassau, allowing more than 75 British and other foreign nationals from ten different countries to board.

A statement from the British High Commission said: “Many of the passengers on this flight arrived in The Bahamas in 2019, and had their original travel plans cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. This flight allowed passengers able to reunite with family members in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Philippines and other countries.”

The statement said that the flight was “logistically challenging” to arrange, requiring co-ordination between Cayman and The Bahamas as well as support from the Bahamian authorities to ensure the correct permissions and procedures were followed.

The British High Commissioner in Nassau, Sarah Dickson, said: “We know that this has been a challenging period for British nationals to plan to return home. Border closures, travel restrictions, flight cancellations, and lack of commercial air traffic routes have made it difficult to fly directly from Nassau to London. I would like to thank everyone involved who helped this run smoothly, including the Bahamian government and law enforcement officials who advised us on the rules regarding repatriation flights and especially the team at the airport who managed the process.”

Since the COVID19 outbreak in March, the UK Government has organised charter flights throughout the Caribbean to get thousands of British nationals home. Priority has been given to British travellers who are vulnerable, including those over 70 and others who have medical requirements, those travelling with young children, and those located in more remote or at-risk areas. This flight was organised in collaboration with the Philippines Government, as after transiting in London, it went on to Manila. The British Airways flight was fully booked with passengers from Cayman and Nassau.

The High Commission said that the flight required help from British Airways staff, Nassau Flight Services, the Airport Authority, and the team at Immigration and Customs.