'If we can't pay up, we will forfeit our passports'

This is the note cash-strapped Indians had to sign at Cairo airport, in return for travelling back on AI's special flight, as banks were shut in the troubled land

Indian nationals, trapped in the turmoil in Egypt without a penny to pay for travel, could return to the safety of their homeland only after pledging to pay the carrier as soon as they landed.

Desperate to get out of the country where ATMs are out of order, banks shut, and normal life uprooted, they signed promissory notes to AI officials at Cairo airport, so they would be allowed to board the special ferry aircraft.


Being the designated national carrier, Air India has been pressed into service to bring back Indian nationals like these left out on a limb in Egypt

"If we fail to make the payment after landing in India you may forfeit our passport," the notes read.
"As Egyptian airlines ceased operations, we had one option - to board the Air India special flight.

We didn't have any cash to buy the ticket. The ATMs were shut, banks closed and no credit card facilities were available.

So we gave written assurances that if we failed to make the payment after reaching India, our passports may be forfeited," said Pankaj Sharma (37).

He boarded the first rescue flight after signing an assurance that he will pay the airline Rs 45,000 for his ticket.

Sharma was staying at a hotel close to Tahrir Square, the area that witnessed violent upheaval, where Egyptian authorities detained many journalists to remove witnesses to the anti-government protests.

A senior Tata employee, MP Sinha, who along with 300 colleagues had gone to Egypt for a conference, said, "Our amount was deposited by our company to Air India, so we do not have to give any such assurance.

But there were many passengers who ran short of funds and signed a declaration."

Confirming the reports, an AI official said, "Those with insufficient cash have given written assurances that once they land in India with the time period given to them they will make the payment or their passport will be deposited."

Third flight home Air India officially does not operate any special flights for Egypt.
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But being the designated national carrier, it has been pressed into the service to bring back Indian nationals left out on a limb in Egypt.

The third batch of around 20 Indians from the Egyptian capital Cairo landed in the city by an AI special flight Thursday at 5.22 am.

Meanwhile, according to government sources, the External Affairs Ministry may consider operating more special flights in the coming days, as many Indians are still stranded there and no airlines are operating from that sector. "The airline would operate more flights if the government orders," an official said.

Minister speaks

Earlier, Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had said, "About 3,200 Indians are in Egypt of whom 2,000 are in Cairo. The government is willing to provide all help to the Indians stranded there, including air travel facilities. We are in touch with our embassy and are working on all the aspects to help them."