EgyptAir concludes its exceptional flights to evacuate 1,500 Egyptians stuck in Kuwait

CAIRO - 31 March 2020: EgyptAir concluded on Tuesday its exceptional flights to evacuate 1,500 Egyptians stranded in Kuwait. The decision to operate these exceptional flights came as part of the Egyptian government's plan to evacuate Egyptians abroad after flights were suspended due to coronavirus.

The fifth exceptional flight to bring back Egyptian nationals stranded in left the Gulf country on March 30, carrying 350 Egyptians, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA reported.

The 350 passengers included 14 people expelled for violating the residence law.

The flight was operated in coordination between the Kuwaiti authorities, the Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait and the Egyptian flag carrier EgyptAir.

The fourth flight was operated on March 29, with 303 Egyptian residents on board, bringing the number of Egyptian nationals who departed Kuwait in the recent evacuation flights to 1293 people.

In an interview with Ahmed Moussa on Sada Al-Balad, a private TV channel, Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram noted that many Egyptians residing abroad are willing to return, but the authorities prioritize those who left the country via visitor visas.