KATHMANDU:  A Myanmar Air Force aircraft carrying stranded Nepali nationals, has arrived in Kathmandu this morning.

According to Spokesperson at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Dev Chandra Lal Karna, Myanmar Air Force (MAF 003) aircraft, Fokker 70, carrying 26 Nepalis landed at the airport at around 11:00 am today.

The flight has brought back home the people corresponding to the government’s plan to evacuate Nepalis stranded abroad.

According to TIA Spokesperson Karna, an Air Arabia flight from the United Arab Emirates too will land at the TIA  at around 3:00 pm today.

As the government has yet to finalise the issues regarding holding centres, immigration and flight schedules, the actual repatriation process will begin from June 10.

Eight aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation and Himalaya Airlines have been designated to operate from June 10 on one-aircraft-one-destination basis, according to joint secretary at MoCTCA, Suresh Acharya.

The evacuation process will be carried out giving top priority to those who have been granted amnesty, whose visas have expired, who have been staying in repatriation centres, who have already received permission to return home, who have lost relatives in Nepal or need to return for attending last rites and other such functions in memory of the departed and lastly, those who have lost their jobs.

The government has set a target of rescuing around 40,000 Nepalis stranded abroad in the first phase.