An Indian company based in Saudi Arabia has organised largest private Covid-19 repatriation flight operations through chartered jets to five countries including Pakistan in South Asia.

Expertise Contracting Company, the Jeddah-based firm who has an office in Dubai, will be repatriating more than 2,000 employees through chartered flights to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal this month.

"We have organised 14 chartered flights in which nine of them to India and else to other neighbouring countries to repatriate more than 1,700 employees so far. As a part of this mission, we also arranged quarantine facilities at their home destinations," Ashif Karnire, CEO of Expertise Contracting Company, told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.

The flights, chartered from Gulf Air are being operated from the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Delhi, Mangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in India and major cities of its neighbouring countries.

"We have urged the Saudi and Indian governments to permit more repatriation flights as more and more people love to be with their families in this pandemic situation. We intend to do more chartered flights on the basis of the approval," Karnire said. "We have operated 14 flights so far and are waiting for the approvals from concerned authorities to operate at least six more flights by the end of this month," he added.

The company short-listed over 2,000 employees for the Covid-related repatriations considering various emergencies such as pregnant women, employees of over 50 years of age, children and medical needs personnel.

"Workers are gone on unpaid leave and the company will take them back after three months," according to an official.

The 20-year-old Expertise Group, which has operations in petrochemical and heavy equipment sectors across the GCC, has more than 10,000 employees and their family members in the Gulf, mainly in Jubail - one of the largest industrial cities in Saudi Arabia.

"We have launched the largest repatriation-chartered flights undertaken in the entire Middle East with the mission to bring a sense of satisfaction and relief for our employees during this challenging time," said KS Shaikh, director at the company.

"Finally, we are going home and I am very happy to see my co-workers and my family also with similar face and great relief," said Parthipan Lingaraj, an employee of the company.

"I am part of this historic event. Thanks to Expertise Management who arranged charted flights to different countries for its 2,000 employees," said Anand Kotagi, another employee based in India.