Considering the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Embassy in Malawi arranged a special commercial flight for American citizens who voluntarily wished to repatriate home to the United States and citizens of other nations in coordination with other Diplomatic Missions accredited to Malawi.
The flight, carrying 143 passengers, including 88 Americans, departed on Friday April 24, 2020 from the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe at 16:40. The flight flew to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC via Addis Ababa and Dublin.
All passengers on the flight were checked by Ministry of Health officials for symptoms of Covid-19 on arrival at KIA before going through formal security and immigration checks to board the flight.
U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Robert Scott, who was present at KIA to see the passengers off, wished them all a safe flight. He said, “The Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We are rising to meet the historic challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, every day, all over the world. The Department has repatriated, or helped to repatriate, over 65,653 U.S. citizens from over 124 countries. This is an unprecedented effort to bring Americans home from all across the globe, including from remote locations and destinations with strict quarantine orders and travel restrictions.”
The U.S. Embassy expresses gratitude to officials at KIA, the Malawi Immigration Department, the Malawi Police Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health for support and all the work that has gone into making this flight possible.
