Coronavirus outbreak: Part of exchange programme, four Noida students stranded in Poland

The students said their flight was cancelled, after which they booked a flight for March 16, which was then rescheduled for the 17th.

Hours before the travel ban came into force on March 17, the students said they were not allowed to board the plane.

“We had gone to the airport to board our Aeroflot (a Russian airline) flight via Moscow on Sunday, but we were told we could not board it as it was only taking Russian citizens due to travel restrictions. After contacting the Indian Embassy, we were informed of a flight on the 16th, which we booked, but that was rescheduled and then on the 17th, we were not allowed to board. The Embassy has told us we had not been given permission by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” said Pranav Praveen, one of the students.

At the airport, students said they have not been allowed to return to their dormitories in the university either and have been placed in quarantine at an alternate accommodation. The university has also suspended classes till April 14.

With the travel ban coming into force from March 18, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said there can be no exceptions and there are thousands of such cases of students in Europe.

“I don’t know what went wrong with their earlier flights. There must have been a misinterpretation at the airline counters. Now that the restrictions are in place, the only option for them will be to wait it out. This is something nationals of all countries are doing,” said the spokesperson.