Tajikistan’s privately owned air carrier Somon Air operated a charter flight on August 10 to repatriate 182 Tajik nationals stranded in Kazakhstan due to the coronavirus crisis. 

Somon Air brought 182 Tajik nationals from Almaty to Dushanbe on Monday on behalf of the government and in cooperation with the Kazakh authorities, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

Recall, Somon Air on August 4 brought 190 Tajik nationals from Almaty to Dushanbe. 

Tajikistan also plan to organize a charter flight from Dushanbe to Istanbul today to repatriate its nationals stranded in Turkey due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The flight will be operated by Somon Air.

Tajik authorities have suspended all international flights.  Tajikistan closed all its airports at midnight on March 19-20 due to the coronavirus concerns.  Only charters flights to repatriate Tajik nationals stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus crisis have been operated so far.    

According to data from the Tajik MFA, about 17,000 Tajik nationals stranded in foreign countries due to the coronavirus crisis have been brought back to Tajikistan since Tajikistan’s airports were closed.