Evacuations related to the COVID-19 pandemic


This article lists major evacuations conducted by several countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in the city of Wuhan, Hubei, China in mid-December 2019, when a group of people developed a pneumonia without clear causes, and existing treatments were found to be ineffective. The novel coronavirus has similar characteristics to severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome. Within a number of weeks, several thousand people in Hubei's provincial capital of Wuhan were infected, and the Chinese central government imposed strict containment measures, including a lockdown of Hubei itself.
Due to the effective lockdown of Wuhan and Hubei, and the continued growth of the outbreak in these locations, several countries planned to evacuate their citizens and/or diplomatic staff from the area. This was done primarily through chartered flights of the home nations, which were provided prior clearance by Chinese authorities. Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States were among the first to plan the evacuation of their citizens. Pakistan has said that it will not be evacuating any citizens from China due to lack of domestic facilities to help treat Pakistanis who may be infected.

International evacuations

Statistical overview

Military and organisation evacuations

The Peace Corps evacuated all volunteers, estimated at over 7,000 and suspended all volunteer programmes.

Major civilian evacuations

From 15 March to 15 April, the Polish flag carrier LOT flew over 54,000 people, including Poles and other nationals, under the "LOTDoDomu" programme.
The government of India plans to evacuate citizens from around the world through the "Vande Bharat Mission" in May. The first phase, with over 15,000 Indian citizens planned to be evacuated from 7 to 13 May, focuses mostly on the Gulf states and other areas with high concentrations of Indians such as the US and UK, while the second phase, starting 15 May, will shift efforts to other European and Central Asian countries. It has been predicted that this evacuation will surpass the 1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait to be the biggest in the country's history, with estimates ranging as high as 192k-250k nationals to be brought home. As India closed its airspace to international flights in March, these flights are crucial for both citizens wanting to return to India as well as anyone who wants to leave the country via outbound flights.

List of international evacuations

Departure dateOrganizing country/iesEvacueesNationalitiesDeparture airportArrival airportNotes
2020-01-30 to 2020-03-17Beijing, Moscow, Minsk, IstanbulTurkmenabat AirportTurkmenistan removed all its citizens from countries with coronavirus.
2020-01-24 to 27200 200Da Nang International Airport
Cam Ranh International Airport
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportVietnam permitted four exceptional flights to take tourists and others from Wuhan home in the period 24–27 January, and organised a flight to evacuate citizens and diplomats.
2020-01-29
300 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportOn 29 January, Australia and New Zealand announced that they would cooperate in the evacuation of their citizens from Wuhan. There are between 50–82 New Zealanders in Wuhan and 600 Australians in Hubei including 140 Australian children in Wuhan. The New Zealand Government chartered a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from the national carrier Air New Zealand to assist in evacuation efforts, subject to approval from Chinese officials. While prioritising New Zealand nationals, Australian and Pacific Island citizens were also be carried.
2020-01-29195 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMarch Air Reserve BaseFirst US evacuation flight, with a fuel stop in Anchorage.
2020-01-29206 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTokyo Haneda AirportThis was Japan's first evacuation flight. Three passengers later tested positive for the virus, with two of them becoming Japan's first asymptomatic cases.
2020-01-30210 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTokyo Haneda AirportThis was Japan's second flight from Wuhan.
2020-01-3092 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportSingapore Changi AirportSingaporeans were evacuated from Wuhan via a special Scoot flight, crewed by volunteers from the airline after co-ordination between Singapore and Chinese authorities facilitated the flights. However, not all Singaporeans were evacuated as some displayed symptoms before the flight. Two of the evacuees were later confirmed as the first Singaporeans to have the virus. Both were asymptomatic during the flight but were found to have a fever upon arrival.
2020-01-31149 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTokyo Haneda AirportJapan's third flight from Wuhan.
2020-01-31368 Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Gimpo International Airport
2020-01-31110 83
27
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportRoyal Air Force Brize NortonPassengers left Wuhan with military medics from the UK, arriving at RAF Brize Norton in England. The British passengers were quarantined at a segregated block of Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral; all passengers were tested before and during the flight, with none having the virus. The other EU nationals were flown on to Spain from Brize Norton. More Britons were supposed to be on the flight, which was planned to leave a day earlier, but China initially declined permission, and then anyone who had a Chinese passport were told they could not leave. Shortly before the flight departed, this decision was reversed, but it was too late for people to get to the airport even though the plane was also delayed for several hours. The British government plans to send another plane if necessary.
2020-01-31180 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIstres-Le Tubé Air Base
2020-01-3176 Suvarnabhumi International AirportWuhan Tianhe International Airport
2020-01-31124Kota Kinabalu International AirportWuhan Tianhe International Airport
2020-01-31111Tokyo Haneda AirportWuhan Tianhe International Airport
2020-01-31124Wuhan Tianhe International AirportFrankfurt AirportThe German Air Force plane was denied a stopover in Moscow after its starting point in Wuhan, according to the German Minister of Defence. Originally, the plane had received approval for a layover in Moscow to stop for refuelling and a change of crew personnel. The aircraft evacuated 102 German and 26 non-German citizens. The plane made a stopover in Helsinki on its way to Frankfurt Airport. The German Minister of Health stated that all passengers showed no symptoms of the coronavirus. On its way to Wuhan, the aeroplane carried 10,000 suits of protective equipment as requested by the Chinese government. Two passengers later tested positive for the virus.
2020-02-01333Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Gimpo International AirportSouth Korea's second flight, operated by Korean Air.
2020-02-0133Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMattala Rajapaksa International AirportA special Sri Lankan Airlines plane flew from Wuhan after co-ordination between the Sri Lankan Government and Chinese authorities. After arrival all passengers were quarantined at a segregated block at Diyatalawa Garrison of the Sri Lanka Army.
2020-02-01324Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIndira Gandhi International AirportThis was India's first evacuation flight. There were three minors, 211 students and 110 working professionals, and the flight was operated by Air India.
2020-02-0142 32
10
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportAnkara Esenboğa AirportA cargo plane delivered medical equipment to China before taking the evacuees to Ankara. All passengers were quarantined in a local disused hospital.
2020-02-0171 55
7
3
3
1
1
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportQueen Alia International AirportFlown by Royal Jordanian, making it the first Wuhan evacuation flight by a flag carrier.
2020-02-0131Wuhan Tianhe International AirportChinggis Khaan International AirportThe flight was operated by MIAT Mongolian Airlines for the government. Passengers were quarantined at the National Center for Communicable Diseases.
2020-02-0159Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMandalay International AirportMyanmar National Airlines operated the flight.
2020-02-01312Wuhan Tianhe International AirportShahjalal International AirportUsing a chartered Boeing 777-300ER of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the government evacuated many people in Wuhan, mostly students studying there. After arrival they were taken to hajj camp which was turned into quarantine near Dhaka airport for 14 days. 3 people who had high temperature was taken to CMH hospital.
2020-02-01167Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMostly students and staff of the country's embassy to China. Passengers were quarantined for 20 days instead of the standard 14.
2020-02-0189Phuket International AirportWuhan Tianhe International Airport
2020-02-02238Wuhan Tianhe International AirportHang Nadim International AirportIndonesian government chartered a Batik Air aircraft with 18 crews and 30 medics to evacuate around 200 Indonesian citizens from Hubei. Of the 245 Indonesians in Wuhan, 4 refused to leave and 3 failed the screening test by the Chinese authorities. The seven Indonesians who remain in Hubei will continue to be monitored and in contact with the Embassy. Before landing in Batam, "All had been declared healthy according to WHO standards". All passengers were then transferred to Raden Sadjad Air Force Base, in Ranai, Natuna Island using one Boeing 737 and two C-130 Hercules from Indonesian Air Force.
2020-02-02330 323
7
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIndira Gandhi International AirportThis was India's second flight. All passengers were quarantined in Delhi and Manesar, Haryana.
2020-02-0246+ 36
10
Unspecified number of students
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportFlown by Air Algérie. Also delivered supplies to China.
2020-02-0210Wuhan Tianhe International AirportKing Khalid International AirportMostly students, flight to Riyadh operated by Saudia.
2020-02-0356Italians and PolesWuhan Tianhe International AirportPratica di Mare Air BaseFlown by a specially equipped KC-767.
2020-02-03254Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIstres-Le Tubé Air BaseThe flight had 65 French nationals on board as well as residents of 29 other countries.
2020-02-03243Wuhan Tianhe International AirportChristmas Island AirportQantas flight chartered by the Australian government evacuated about 240 people, including 84 children and 5 infants, to the Australian mainland, before they were flown on smaller planes to the Christmas Island Detention Centre for quarantine. The inbound flight delivered medical supplies including masks, protective suits and gloves.
2020-02-03247Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTaoyuan International AirportCharter flight operated by China Eastern Airlines
2020-02-04144 128
16 from post-Soviet states
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportRoshchino International AirportTwo military planes evacuated passengers to Tyumen, Siberia for quarantine.
2020-02-04107Wuhan Tianhe International AirportKuala Lumpur International AirportChartered AirAsia flight with Malaysians as well as non-Malaysian family members on board.
2020-02-04190 98
35
17
17
8
5
4
2
1
1
1
1
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportAuckland AirportAircraft operated by New Zealand Airlines NZ1942. Except for the Australian residents, who were subsequently sent to Australia, others were sent to Whangaparaoa military base, 25 km away from Auckland, for two weeks of quarantine.
2020-02-04144Wuhan Tianhe International AirportU-Tapao International AirportWhile the flight left from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, it flew to a different airport in order for passengers to be quarantined at nearby Sattahip Naval Base.
2020-02-0484Wuhan Tianhe International AirportImam Khomeini International Airport59 Iranians, 24 Syrians and one Lebanese citizen were evacuated by a flight operated by Mahan Air.
2020-02-04350 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTravis Air Force Base
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
There were two flights, one of which went to Travis AFB near San Francisco, and the other which refuelled there and continued to MCAS Miramar near San Diego. Passengers on both flights were quarantined for 14 days. On 10 February, one passenger was confirmed infected and became the 13th case in the United States.
2020-02-05147Wuhan Tianhe International AirportRoshchino International AirportTwo Russian Air Force Il-76TDs evacuated people who were taken to a quarantine base in Tumen rehabilitation center.
2020-02-06176Wuhan Tianhe International AirportCanadian Forces Base TrentonThe flight was operated by an Airbus A330, stopped at Vancouver International Airport to refuel, and then flew to CFB Trenton near Toronto. Quarantine was lifted on 21 February and no one was infected.
2020-02-06300 240
60+
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportPlane 1
Vancouver International Airport
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Plane 2
Lackland Air Force Base
Eppley Airfield
Consisted of two flights, one of which had a fuel stop in Vancouver were Canadians disembarked.
2020-02-07198Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTokyo Haneda AirportFourth Japanese flight from Wuhan.
2020-02-0740 34
4
1
1
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Warsaw
Fortaleza
The Brazilian Air Force used two E-190 planes. One had a fuel stop in Las Palmas, where no one disembarked. All non-Brazilians got off in Warsaw.
2020-02-072Wuhan Tianhe International AirportBrunei International AirportOperated by Royal Brunei Airlines and arrived the next day.
2020-02-0861 Bali International AirportWuhan Tianhe International AirportA flight chartered by the Chinese Consulate-General picked up 49 adults and 12 children, all Chinese nationals, from Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday to bring them back to Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
2020-02-0930 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportClark Air Base
2020-02-09258 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportDarwin International AirportOperated by Qantas Airways, with a total of 266 people evacuated including 8 Pacific Islanders. Everyone was quarantined in an unused mining camp near Darwin.
2020-02-09174 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportChangi International AirportSIngaporeans were flown home on another special Scoot flight, numbered TR5121. On 16 February, one passenger was diagnosed with the virus. On 21 February, another confirmed diagnosis was announced.
2020-02-09200 105
95 others
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportRoyal Air Force Brize NortonSecond British flight from Wuhan.
2020-02-1035 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIstres-Le Tubé Air Base
2020-02-10185 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportCanadian Forces Base Trenton
2020-02-1030 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportNoi Bai International AirportFlight to Hanoi operated by Vietnam Airlines.
2020-02-11140 Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Gimpo International Airport
2020-02-16175 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTribhuvan International AirportThe flight to Kathmandu was operated by Nepal Airlines. The original number of Nepalese to be evacuated was 185, however, 4 of them decided to stay back and 6 were barred to board the flight due to medical reasons.
2020-02-1765 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTokyo Haneda AirportFifth evacuation by Japan from Wuhan.
2020-02-17380+ Tokyo Haneda AirportTravis Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base
Eppley Airfield
Evacuated passengers on the Diamond Princess
2020-02-197 6
1
Tokyo Haneda Airport Gimpo International AirportAir Force flight evacuating Diamond Princess passengers
2020-02-20106 84
18 passengers of other nationalities, possibly Hong Kong residents
Tokyo Haneda AirportHong Kong International AirportFirst Hong Kong evacuation flight for Diamond Princess passengers.
2020-02-20164 Tokyo Haneda AirportDarwin International AirportTwo passengers later tested positive.
2020-02-2072 45
8
5
5
4
2
2
1
1
1
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Almaty International Airport
Kharkiv International Airport
Another 3 Ukrainian citizens and 1 foreign national were denied boarding the flight by Chinese authorities due to medical reasons. Two Kazakhstan citizens have left the airliner during the intermediate landing in Almaty, Kazakhstan. All remaining evacuees were taken to Kharkiv Airport and then they were transported by ground to the National Guard sanatorium in Novi Sanzhary for 14 days quarantine.
2020-02-2164 28
36 others
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportParis(Airport unknown)All passengers were quarantined in Normandy.
2020-02-21200+ Tokyo Haneda AirportCanadian Forces Base TrentonFlight for Diamond Princess passengers. After landing in Canada, passengers were held in quarantine in an hotel.
2020-02-2119 Tokyo Haneda AirportTaoyuan International AirportEvacuated Diamond Princess passengers.
2020-02-2184 82
2
Tokyo Haneda AirportHong Kong International AirportSecond Hong Kong flight for Diamond Princess passengers. Macaunese passengers were taken to their homes by land over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.
2020-02-2232 30
2
Tokyo Haneda AirportSpecial plane for Diamond Princess passengers.
2020-02-235 Tokyo Haneda AirportHong Kong International AirportThird evacuation flight by Hong Kong for Diamond Princess passengers.
2020-02-242 Chengdu Shuangliu International AirportTaoyuan International AirportEvacuated a haemophiliac and his mother.
2020-02-25309 Tokyo Haneda AirportClark Air BaseRepatriates consist of 440 crew members and 5 tourists from the Diamond Princess. The 445 Filipino repatriates were evacuated on two separate flights.
2020-02-25136 Tokyo Haneda AirportClark Air BaseRepatriates consist of 440 crew members and 5 tourists from the Diamond Princess. The 445 Filipino repatriates were evacuated on two separate flights.
2020-02-2666 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportKuala Lumpur International AirportSecond Malaysian flight from Wuhan, operated by AirAsia.
2020-02-27111 76
23
6
2
2
1
1
1
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportIndira Gandhi International AirportThis was the third evacuation flight sent by India to Wuhan. India also provided 15 tonnes of medical assistance comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment to China through the same Indian Air Force flight.
2020-02-27124 119
2
1
1
1
Tokyo(Airport unknown)Indira Gandhi International AirportThis flight mostly had crew members of the Diamond Princess as passengers.
2020-02-2723 15
5
3
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMilitary Transport Air CommandThe flight was operated by the Colombian Air Force. Upon arrival, they were quarantined at a sports villa in Bogotá.
2020-03-0211Istanbul Airport Taoyuan International AirportAfter an Israeli passenger on another Turkish Airlines flight tested positive, the airline ran a special flight to take a Taiwanese tour group on the same flight as the confirmed case home.
2020-03-04215 58
Unknown number of nationals from nearby countries
Wuhan Tianhe International AirportDubai International Airport
2020-03-04, 05311/309 Imam Khomeini International AirportLanzhou Zhongchuan International AirportTwo flights, with the first one being operated by China Southern Airlines, evacuated Chinese citizens to the western city. A cluster of cases in Gansu, where Lanzhou is located, were linked to the evacuation.
2020-03-04, 05533 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportHong Kong International AirportThe Hong Kong government arranged four charter flights to bring back 533 of its residents from Wuhan. Upon arrival, they were quarantined in Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan.
2020-03-0757 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportMacau International Airport
2020-03-07167 Macau International AirportNinoy Aquino International AirportCharter flight organised to bring Overseas Filipino Workers home.
2020-03-1058 Tehran(Airport unknown)Hindon AirportThe Indian Air Force used a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft to evacuate Indian pilgrims from Iran.
2020-03-10, 11361 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportTaoyuan International AirportAfter some conflict between the Chinese and Taiwanese governments, two flights, one operated by China Airlines with 169 evacuees and another by China Eastern Airlines carrying 192, arrived around 11 pm on 10 March and 4am on the 11th respectively.
2020-03-11164 Imam Khomeini International AirportChengdu Shuangliu International Airport
2020-03-1183 74
6
3
Milan Malpensa AirportIndira Gandhi International AirportThe flight was operated by Air India. All the non-Indian citizens were of Indian origin. All evacuees were placed under quarantine for 14 days.
2020-03-13114 Wuhan Tianhe International AirportPolokwane International Airport112 South African citizens were evacuated on a South African Airways aircraft chartered by the South African Government. Medical screening was performed prior to departure, four South Africans who were showing signs of coronavirus were left behind to mitigate risk. Only South Africans who tested negative were repatriated. Test results cleared all the South Africans, including the flight crew, pilots, hotel staff, police and soldiers who, as a precautionary measure, all remained under observation and in quarantine for a 14-day period at The Ranch Resort.
2020-03-1489 Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino AirportU-Tapao International Airport89 Thai students and tourist were evacuated from Italy on a Thai Airways flight organised by Thai government. They were quarantined for 14 days in Sattahip Naval Base.
2020-03-15218 Milan Malpensa AirportIndira Gandhi International AirportAir India operated the flight. The evacuees brought to New Delhi will be shifted to Indo-Tibetan Border Police's camp in Chhawla area where they will be quarantined for 14 days.
2020-03-15234(Airport unknown)Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport131 students and 103 pilgrims, among others, were evacuated from Iran on a Mahan Air flight organised by the Indian Embassy. They were quarantined for 14 days in Indian Army's wellness centre facility in Jaisalmer.
2020-03-1653 Tehran and Shiraz(Airport unknown)Jaisalmer Airport52 students and 1 teacher were evacuated by Air India and were then quarantined at an Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer.
2020-03-1896 New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai (Airport unknown)Kuala Lumpur International AirportFirst batch of few hundred Malaysians stranded in India by an AirAsia flight.
2020-03-1980 74
6
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport Incheon International AirportAn Iran Air charter flight took the passengers from Tehran to Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, where they transferred to an Asiana Airlines charter flight going to Incheon.
2020-03-1972Lima International AirportMiami International AirportA group of 72 Taiwanese tourists flew from Lima to Miami on a privately chartered jet arranged by the Taiwanese government, after Peru declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak and closed its borders on 16 March to all commercial traffic.
2020-03-22444Casablanca Mohammed V International AirportMontréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International AirportAn Air Canada Charted flight brought 444 Canadians from Casablanca to Montréal.
2020-03-23250+Rome and Milan(Airport unknown)Ben Gurion AirportIsrair operated two flights from Italy to Tel Aviv, with mostly students on board.
2020-03-24, 25402Lima International AirportToronto Pearson International AirportAn Air Canada Charted flight brought 402 Canadians from Lima to Peru.
2020-03-251000+Lima International AirportAtlanta International AirportOn 25 March, the US government has repatriated over 1000 Americans from Peru.
2020-03-25Monrovia Roberts International AirportWashington Dulles International AirportA chartered medical flight with limited capacity that gave preference to the elderly flew from Monrovia to Washington DC.
2020-03-25500+Wuhan Tianhe International AirportHong Kong International AirportA total of four flights will be chartered by the government to vacate citizens living in Hubei province outside of Wuhan city.
2020-03-2566 Cusco International Airport Porto Velho Air Force BaseThe two Hércules C-130 planes, of the Brazilian Air Force, carried out the rescue of 66 Brazilians who were stranded in Cuzco, Peru.
2020-03-25, 26, 30, 311160+160

4
Lima International Airport
Arequipa International Airport
Cusco International Airport
Pucallpa International Airport
London Heathrow International AirportThe UK government has arranged 7 British Airways charted flights to bring back over 1160 British, Irish and EU Nationals from Lima to London.
2020-03-26314+New DelhiBen Gurion AirportAir India operated a flight from New Delhi, India to Tel Aviv.
2020-03-26198 Lima International Airport Incheon International AirportAn Aeroméxico Charted flight brought 198 Korean from Lima to Incheon.
2020-03-27432Casablanca Mohammed V International AirportMontréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International AirportAn Air Canada Charted flight brought 432 Canadians from Casablanca to Montréal.
2020-03-29153Bogota El Dorado International AirportAtlanta International AirportThe U.S. Embassy, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, organised an evacuation flight for U.S. citizens from El Dorado Airport in Bogota to Atlanta.
2020-03-29139 55
29
34
14
7
Cusco International Airport
Lima International Airport
Miami International AirportThe flight, chartered by LATAM Airlines, departed from Cusco, a southeastern city in Peru, with 38 Taiwanese on board, then flew to the capital, Lima, to pick up an additional 17 Taiwanese Nationals. Another 84 passengers of four different nationalities—Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the U.S. – bringing the total number of passengers to 139. The flight landed in Miami and all the passengers can choose to stay in the city or bound to their own country.
2020-03-30Shanghai Pudong International AirportTaoyuan International AirportTwo flights operated by China Airlines between Taoyuan and Shanghai will be opened to transport Taiwanese nationals in Hubei Province home.
2020-03-31260Lima International AirportSydney International AirportA group of about 260 Australians who paid at least $5,160 each for an evacuation flight out of Peru have returned home.
2020-03-31309 Milan Malpensa Airport Incheon International AirportA Korean Air Charted flight brought 309 Korean from Milan to Incheon.
2020-04-01Bogota El Dorado International AirportEglin Air Force BaseThe U.S. Embassy, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense, has organised an evacuation flight for U.S. citizens from El Dorado Airport in Bogota to Eglin Air Force Base in Destin, FL.
2020-04-01300Monrovia Roberts International AirportWashington Dulles International AirportThe Embassy of the United States in Liberia has announced the arrival of a second charted flight to evacuate its citizens from Liberia though the country has reported only three confirmed cases of Covid-19.
2020-04-01203





Yangon International Airport Zurich AirportAn Edelweiss Air Charted flight brought 203 Swiss, British, Norwegian, EU, American and Canadian nationals from Yangon to Zurich. The first direct flight from Myanmar to Europe.
2020-04-01205 Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport
Incheon International AirportA Korean Air Charted flight brought 205 Korean from Rome and Milan to Incheon.
2020-04-02Bogota El Dorado International AirportFort Lauderdale–Hollywood International AirportThe U.S. Embassy announced that Spirit Airlines will operate a humanitarian flight from Bogota, Colombia on 2 April 2020. The flight will depart from El Dorado International Airport and arrive at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
2020-04-037665
6
5
Cusco International Airport
Lima International Airport
London Heathrow International AirportThe Hong Kong Government has arranged a charted flight to bring 65 Hong Kongers, 6 Malaysians and 5 Britons from Lima to London, then the Hong Kongers will go on board a regular connecting flight with secured bookings from London to Hong Kong. For those Hong Kongers and Malaysians who are stranded in Cusco, they will also take a domestic charted flight arranged by the Hong Kong government flying to Lima.
2020-04-1860Dubai International AirportTaiwan Taoyuan International AirportThe Taiwanese government organised an Emirates charter flight taking 60 Taiwanese nationals back from UAE to Taiwan.
2020-04-21368Noi Bai International Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kualanamu International AirportSão Paulo–Guarulhos International AirportA Garuda Indonesia plane chartered by Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs repatriated a total of 368 Brazilians from Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia to São Paulo with stopover in Amsterdam. The flight was planned to depart on 16 April but later rescheduled after Qatari government denied the flight to make stopover in Qatar.
2020-04-28259Miami International AirportKyiv International Airport
2020-04-30319Islamabad International AirportHong Kong International AirportThe very first flight to take back Hong Kongers from Pakistan after the nationwide lockdown. An estimated number of 2000 Hong Kong citizens are stranded in different parts of the country.
2020-04-30Melbourne International AirportNadi International AirportAll guests are advised that only Fiji citizens are able to enter Fiji at this time. As with all recent evacuation flights arrivals, all arriving guests will be required to go into self-isolation at a Fijian Government-mandated facility for 28 days.
2020-05-18249Indira Gandhi International AirportHong Kong International AirportThe very first flight to take back Hong Kongers from India after the nationwide lockdown. An estimated number of 3500 Hong Kong citizens are stranded in different parts of the country.

Large-scale domestic evacuations

France

The French government has strategically moved coronavirus patients from harder-hit areas to those with less cases to spread out the strain on the hospital system. Evacuations done for this purpose include one from Corsica using a naval ship and a series of high-speed TGV trains from Grand-Est to other regions.

India

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the country's central and state governments coordinated numerous international and domestic evacuations.

Philippines

The national and local governments of Philippines have established and facilitated a program to evacuate its citizens and local migrant workers from COVID-19 hit regions to their home provinces.

Controversies and issues

Quarantine locations

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans in late January 2020 to quarantine Australian citizens evacuated from Wuhan, including children and the elderly, for a period of 14 days on Christmas Island. The decision to repatriate those citizens using controversial detention facilities formerly used to detain asylum seekers before they were shut down in 2018 has received criticism. Controversially, the government plan also necessitates those evacuees to pay a fee of A$1,000, and would take them to Perth after the quarantine period, where they would need to arrange their own transportation back to their home cities. The Australian Medical Association, in a statement on the same day, stated that the decision to hold Australian citizens in "a place where has been previously the focus of populations under enormous mental and physical trauma and anguish, is not a really appropriate solution."
In some places, local residents rallied against the decision to quarantine evacuees in their region. Residents of Nautana protested against the Indonesian government in early February 2020 for letting the evacuees stay there. Hundreds staged demonstrations and burned tires. As a result, Brimob and Indonesian National Armed Forces troops were deployed to ensure stable security conditions. To protect and give health assurance to local people, Jokowi ordered Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto to have a temporary office in Natuna.
In the Philippines, the usage of the New Clark City development as a quarantine site was met with opposition from the municipal council of Capas. The local legislative said that they were not consulted by the national Department of Health and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority regarding the plan and suggested the national government to consider a more isolated area as a quarantine site.
After healthy Ukrainian evacuees returned from Wuhan to Ukraine on 20 February 2020, misinformation caused riots as protestors railed against the decision to quarantine the passengers nearby the day after they flew back, and the evacuees' bus was attacked.

Fees and payment responsibility

Due to the nature of evacuation flights, being flown empty one-way and being arranged by charter airlines in many cases at short notice, many passengers have had to pay substantial fees for a seat. In the United States, a bill was introduced in Congress to propose waiving waiving travel expenses for US citizens evacuated and in Nigeria, fights have been subsidised by the government. Indian migrant workers also suffered with high prices, which were compounded by their lack of income due to the lockdown and economic downturn. In response, the Jharkhand government and Congress Party branch said it would pay train fares for migrants leaving the state as well as organise special trains for residents to get to their hometowns.

Improper procedures

In the United States, a Department of Health and Human Services employee claimed that the workers who received Americans from the first evacuation from Wuhan were inadequately trained and equipped.