4 Sep 2020

Samoa announces more repatriation plans

7:21 am on 4 September 2020

Samoa's next repatriation flight from New Zealand has been scheduled for 11 September.

Commercial airline. Passenger plane landing at airport with beautiful sunset  sky and clouds. Arrival flight. Airplane flying in a line for landing. Aircraft open light in the evening flight.

Photo: 123rf.com

Next Friday's flight follows the cancellation of a previous flight on 28 August due to the resurgence of Covid-19 in Auckland.

Close to 300 stranded seasonal workers who were booked on that flight will now return home next Friday.

Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi said staggered repatriation flights would continue into October so as not to overload quarantine facilities in Samoa.

The news comes the same week as Tuila'epa announced plans for a first repatriation flight from Australia for stranded citizens, particularly scholarship students who had finished their studies.