Passengers will bear the cost of the journey, which is capped at HK$8,000 (US$1,032) per person. There is the possibility of another flight from Mumbai, the Post has learned.

However, thousands remain in the South Asian country, which has recorded 74,000 coronavirus cases and 2,400 deaths, without any information about when further flights will be arranged.

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department and Security Bureau had said they were in the process of helping some 3,600 Hong Kong residents in India, which has been under national lockdown since March 24.

Among those desperate to return to Hong Kong are families struggling with medical needs, unaccompanied minors staying with grandparents hoping to be reunited with their parents in the city, and students wanting to get back to school.

Some of those stranded said they felt neglected by a government that had previously arranged flights for residents stuck in Japan, Pakistan, Peru and the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan.

Sudhanshu Malhotra and his wife Priya Goswami, who have lived in Hong Kong for five years, hope to catch Sunday’s flight from New Delhi.

They were supposed to return to Hong Kong on March 13 after arriving in India over Lunar New Year in January, and have not left the flat they are sharing with Sudhanshu’s brother in 50 days.

“So far, we have had eight flights cancelled,” the 36-year-old said. “If we don't get this flight we don’t know when we will go home.”

Amid the lockdown, a lack of local transport in India threatens to stop some Hongkongers from getting on the flight even if they are selected.

Airlines have told at least one Hong Kong citizen there were no domestic flights available to those who were not Indian nationals.

Although Sam Lo, who has been stranded in Bangalore since early March, was cleared by the Immigration Department to take Sunday’s flight back to Hong Kong, he has not been able to secure a seat on the domestic flight to get to New Delhi this week.

“An Indian national helped me check with the airline, and the airline said the domestic flight is only for Indians,” said Lo, who works in the textile industry.

“Hong Kong Immigration Department said there are only two cases in the southern regions of Bangalore and Chennai, so they said they likely will not send a separate flight there.”

Chartered flights in works for Hong Kong residents stuck in India: sources

Local trains were fully booked, he added, while a private taxi could cost more than HK$10,000.

To make things worse, the diabetic’s insulin medication ran out in March and Lo can only get hold of blood pressure tablets on prescription, with access to local pharmacies increasingly difficult during the lockdown.

“The medicine I’ve got now is only to prolong my life literally, because I still cannot get hold of insulin medication in the end,” he said.

Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho said many of those trapped in the South Asian country were Indian people holding Hong Kong identity cards, with at least 250 of them carrying a Hong Kong passport.

Accusing officials of stalling the arrangement of flights, Tam said: “I believe the Hong Kong government wants to buy more time, so hopefully everything will be overtaken by events.”

The government said it had been liaising with the Consulate General of India in Hong Kong, and was in touch with several airlines as it explored ways of getting the civilians home.

Hong Kong plans ‘phased approach’ in getting thousands back from India, Pakistan

A spokesman said it would “arrange flights to assist in the return of the Hong Kong residents subject to the circumstances”, adding it had to consider India’s lockdown restrictions and capacity in the city’s quarantine facilities.

The Department of Health has said all Hong Kong residents arriving from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and South Africa must stay in quarantine for 14 days after undergoing compulsory testing on arrival. All returnees from India will stay at the Chun Yeung Estate in Sha Tin for two weeks.

Explaining its decision to send Hong Kong residents arriving from India into government-run quarantine centres rather than staying at home, as was the policy for other arrivals, the Department of Health said testing levels in India and other countries were relatively low, which could mean those with mild symptoms or without any at all were not reflected in official figures.

“After reviewing the capacity of quarantine centres, the Department of Health will adopt a prudent approach for these returnees,” a spokesman said.

Kavita Khosa, a 57-year-old who has lived in Hong Kong for 33 years and is among the thousands left in limbo, said she understood the need for caution but called out the disparity in the government’s approach to different countries, adding: “This is about equality.”