A hundred-and-sixty-four tourists from Europe, stranded in Kerala since the national lockdown on March 24, left for Zurich on Saturday night from Cochin International Airport by a special flight by Swiss Air.
A communication said that Swiss consul-general (Bengaluru) Sebastien Hug oversaw the mission to airlift the Swiss nationals along with Syed Ibrahim, honorary consul of the German honorary consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
There were 115 Swiss citizens in the flight that also carried tourists from Germany, Austria, Norway, Denmark and France.
Most of the passengers from Kochi were tourists in Kerala, while the others were brought in from neighbouring States, said K. Rajkumar, regional joint director of Kerala Tourism.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said most of the stranded foreign tourists in the State were repatriated.
Rani George, secretary, Kerala Tourism, said most of the guests who returned Saturday night used the registration portal of the Swiss consulate, while others sought the help of the Kerala Tourism helpdesk.
Saudi tourists
On Monday morning, a batch of 136 Saudi nationals will fly back home from Kozhikode by a Saudi Arabian airliner.
Next in line is repatriation of about 50 Canadian tourists who will join others and fly back home from Bengaluru.
