The first dedicated flight from Sydney to repatriate Nepali Nationals has flown from Kingsford Smith Airport with 258 people on board after an agonising wait for many.
It comes as many senior Nepali citizens visiting their family were left stranded as international borders shut in an effort to stop COVID-19 spreading.
Also on the flight home are Nepali students and graduates who were unable to support themselves after losing their jobs when the businesses they worked either shut or hibernated due to the social distancing rules.
'You want to get back to your own country'
Source: Rajish Aryal/ SBS
She was here to visit her family for a couple of months before the borders closed, throwing her plan to return home in disarray. But she is happy now she's finally heading where she says she belongs, despite COVID-19 cases on the rise in Nepal.
"Even if you get sick, you love your country. You want to get back to your own country," Ghimire told SBS Nepali before boarding the flight.
"I think, even if one falls ill, to fall ill in own's country - will make them less anxious."
Some have been caught by the restrictions even more drastically.
Deepak Kandel was in the country for a short two weeks holiday with his partner but now is returning alone.
Earlier a Nepal Airlines flight took 11 Nepali citizens back to Nepal from Canberra. Source: SBS Nepali
He says spending time with his sister and her family was great, but to go back without his partner and to pay the premium fare for the chartered flight has left him with a bitter taste.
"I have a job back home. I was scared if I stayed here any longer, I might be laid off," Kandel said.
"The government is trying to loot us - the fare is almost four times of normal times - how can this be a relief flight?"
Bye Bye!: Friends and families seeing off Nepalis at Sydney Airport on Tuesday. 298 Nepalis flew back home as a part of repatriation efforts by Nepal Source: Rajish Aryal / SBS
'Hard work has paid off'
Other people SBS spoke have also questioned the introduction of ticket sales agents, accusing the Nepali government of lacking transparency.
Mahesh Raj Dahal, the Nepali Ambassador to Australia, says the long and arduous behind the scene work has finally made the flights home possible for Nepalis.
"I am very happy - hard work has paid off," he told SBS Nepali.
"Looking at the faces of the people lining up here to get to the flight is giving me goosebumps."
All the passengers aboard the flight have to submit a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result before they are allowed to take the seat.
Mahesh Raj Dahal, Nepali Ambassador to Australia Source: Rajish Aryal/ SBS
The serology test to detect IgM or IgG antibodies against SARS-COV-2 has been made compulsory by the Nepalese Government before arriving in the Himalayan nation.
Sushila Barakoti, a Nepali graduate had finished her three-year degree and would have been heading home on 3rd April if the flights had not been cancelled.
She says the compulsory tests were not hard to access thanks to Australia's health system and proactive measure by the local Nepali Consulate in Sydney.
"But to get hold of the ticket was hard. There was a rush, and turnaround time to respond to the Embassy's expression of interest was short," Ms Barakoti complained.
Mr Dahal says a lot depended on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nepal and accepts there were some tight deadlines.
Sushila Barakoti Source: Rajish Aryal/ SBS
"We have had to reconfirm applications and prioritise people with most need to get back home. Some had family affairs to address, and others simply had run out of options to remain back, financially."
Anshu Sharma, who says she's going back to Nepal for good, is one of those who were laid off in March after the pandemic caused businesses to shut down.
"I have had no work for the last three months and was really struggling. I came here as a student some two and a half years back but now its time to go back for good," Sharma says.
She says although she's happy to be going back to her family after facing hardship for last three months, she's a bit apprehensive of being back in Nepal especially when the cases of COVID-19 is still peaking.
Anshu Sharma Source: Rajish Aryal/ SBS
"The good thing though, it seems, is the government is allowing is to self-quarantine instead of being in a designated quarantine facility. I think we are safe, as we have tested negative."
Some family members have other concerns - especially for people who don't live in Kathmandu - where Nepal's one and the only international airport - Tribhuvan International Airport is located.
"My parents are on the flight, and it is landing at 11 pm at night in Kathmandu. We don't have any information regarding what happens then. The government has provided no explanation on further procedures ones passengers disembark the aircraft," said one of the family member who came to drop off their loved ones on Tuesday morning at the Sydney Airport.
Chandra Kumari Sah says it while it is definitely exceptional to be repatriated, leaving her kids back has her heart wrecked.
Chandra Kumari Sah with her daughter and other family members at Sydney Airport Source: Rajish Aryal/ SBS
Her daughter, who came to see Sah off, also said the ticket price was exorbitant and although onset it looks as if the Nepali government is helping, truth is much further.
"I hope, once they land in Kathmandu, the government will provide them with superior quarantine facilities. Everybody has their opinions, and we have had reports of people stranded in Kathmandu. Let's hope it is not the case this time around."
The Nepali Embassy in Canberra says there are nearly 1,000 Nepali still waiting to be repatriated.
