The US has airlifted 4,000 American from India and 6,000 are waiting for transportation home, according to the State Department's top consular official.  Of the about 17,000 Americans waiting to return to the US, 6,000 are in India, he said.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee said on Wednesday, that India is “more challenging at the moment” in the repatriation efforts.  Thes State Department has helped bring home more than 1,000 US citizens from Pakistan and six more flights planned, he said.  

In India, Brownlee said, “we’ve already coordinated the repatriation of more than 4,000 US citizens. We have four more flights scheduled in the coming days.”

It “is no small feat in the midst of a nationwide lockdown” to get people to New Delhi and Mumbai from where the flights to the US leave, he said.

Getting people to New Delhi and Mumbai, the outbound hubs for those two – for those flights, is no small feat in the midst of a nationwide lockdown,

US diplomats “are actively coordinating with passengers arriving on feeder flights and buses from all across this huge country” to the departure hubs, he added.

In Pakistan, he added, “All internal domestic flights are grounded, and all ground transportation is banned for vehicles holding more than three people. Our team in Pakistan is making every effort to help people get to Islamabad and Karachi to board our repatriation flights.”