Malabar Gold & Diamonds repatriates staff from UAE to India using chartered flights

KOLKATA: As the circular from ministry of foreign affairs, India paves way for companies in UAE to repatriate their employees through chartered flights, the first such flight chartered by Malabar Gold & Diamonds left UAE carrying the team members of Malabar Gold & Diamonds and their families on 4th June 2020.

The chartered flight operated by Air Arabia from Sharjah carrying 171 team members and their families including 25 children reached Calicut, Kerala on 05th June, 2020.

‘I am happy to see the initiative by Malabar Gold & Diamonds to charter the flight to send back employees and their families to India. There are several Indians in UAE who want to go back and I request them to have patience as the Government of India is taking necessary steps to gradually increase the number of flights to go back. I also appreciate Government of Sharjah and Air Arabia for providing all facilities while maintaining all safety requirements’, said Mr Vipul, Consul General of India in Dubai.

The organization plans to charter 5-6 such flights to repatriate around 500 team members and their families from the UAE to various destinations across India including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

‘We wanted to provide a safe and speedy passage to our team members and their families during these difficult circumstances. This was made possible due to the combined effort and support we received from the team at Indian Consulate in Dubai under the guidance of Shri. Vipul, the Consul General of India in Dubai. I would also like to thank the prompt support provided by the concerned authorities in India especially Ministry of External Affairs and Government of Kerala. The team from Sharjah Airport Authority and Air Arabia helped create all the necessary arrangements including Covid19 rapid testing at the airport and make this possible at such short notice’ said Mr. Shamlal Ahamed, MD – International Operations of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

A corporate sustenance plan was rolled out in May 2020 by Malabar Gold & Diamonds across its international operations to keep the businesses afloat and reduce the impact of the disruptions on the business as well as it’s team members and partners. Multiple decisions including closure of underperforming stores, phase wise store resumption, reduction of capacity, manpower and salaries, etc. have all been taken. These decisions were taken considering all the stakeholders in the organization. The decision to provide safe and speedy passage for team members at the company’s expense was also initiated as a part of the sustenance plan.

‘We gave priority to the elderly, team members with pre-existing health concerns, team members with family and those who have been terminated or have opted for extended leave to be with their families in India on these chartered flights,” said Mr. Abdul Salam KP, Group Executive Director of Malabar Group. The group is scheduled to open 18 stores across India this year, providing opportunity for team members terminated from International Operations to be given priority for joining its operations across India.

Courtesy: The Economic Times