Photos: Inside Sehion Tours chartered Singapore Airlines flight from Kochi, India to Auckland

Crew and passengers aboard the Singapore Airlines charter flight. Photo / Supplied

More privately organised repatriation flights are planned from southern India to Auckland.

A private charter flight organised by Sehion Tours and Travels arrived at the weekend from Kochi with 203 passengers on board.

Among the New Zealand citizens and residents were 24 infants.

Sehion director Sijo Abraham said all the passengers were required to do Covid-19 test within three days of departure and all tested negative.

''It has been a long wait to get approval for this flight and appreciate all the help and guidance from both New Zealand and Indian Government authorities.''

A child in full PPE on board the Singapore Airlines flight to Auckland. Photo / Supplied

The firm chartered a Singapore Airlines A350-900 for the flight with the airline's crew in full personal protective equipment.

The flight returned with Indian citizens who had been stranded here.

Another flight is scheduled on September 19 from Auckland to Kochi for stranded Indians.

''Many passengers are excited to join their family after a long time of separation and are happy to get back to their work after quarantine,'' said Abraham.

The flight travelled via Singapore where it stopped for fuel.

Although those on the charter flights had Covid tests, this country's Ministry of Health doesn't believe pre-departure testing is effective on its own.

''You could still have Covid-19, even if you test negative for it. A number of measures are needed to keep people safe, including quarantine on arrival into a country,'' it says on its website.

New Zealand-bound passengers wait to board a private charter flight at Kochi Airport, India. Photo / Supplied

Since April the New Zealand Government has chartered 10 Air India flights, three Air NZ flights and a commercially-run private charter flight.

So far more than 3000 people have been repatriated from India.

"More flights are expected to occur, subject to ongoing availability of space in managed isolation and quarantine facilities. We are currently working to confirm a forward schedule of flights to align with the availability of space in managed isolation and quarantine facilities," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says.