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Tag: Air India

  • Operation Ganga: 80 flights, 24 ministers pressed in action to evacuate Indians from Ukraine

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: In a bid to further scale up the evacuation efforts, the government has deployed 80 flights under ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate stranded Indians from Ukraine.

    The government has also roped in more than two dozen Ministers to monitor evacuation missions without any hiccups, sources told ANI on Thursday.

    Sources told ANI that the government has accelerated the evacuation plan for the Indians stranded in Ukraine. Total flights ferry has been increased to bring more and more Indians. By March 10, a total of 80 flights will be pressed into service to evacuate the stranded Indians.

    These flights belong to the fleet of Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Spice Jet, Vistara, Go Air, and also planes from Air Force.

    ALSO READ | Hostile Ukrainians made pupils stand for 18 hours during train journey, recounts Telugu student

    Sources also told ANI that the 35 evacuations have been planned from the Romanian capital Bucharest, which include 14 flights of Air India, eight of Air India Express, seven of IndiGo, one of Spice Jet, three of Vistara and two of Indian Air Force.

    A total of 28 flights have been scheduled to take off from Hungary’s capital Budapest. Among these 28, 15 flights are from Go Air, 9 from IndiGo, 2 from Air India, 1 from Indian Air Force, and 1 from Spice Jet. A total of nine flights are scheduled from Rzeszow, Poland, which includes eight from IndiGo and 1 from Indian Air Force, while five flights will take off from Suceava, Romania and 3 flights will take off from Kosice, Slovakia.

    Sources also stated that approximately 17,000 stranded Indians will be evacuated from Ukraine by these 80 flights, scheduled to take off from Budapest, Bucharest, and Rzeszow, Suceava, and Kosice.

    Till March 2, a total of 24 flights have landed under ‘Operation Ganga’. The government started ‘Operation Ganga’ on February 26 to evacuate stranded Indians from Ukraine.

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    The first flight carrying Indians landed in Mumbai on February 26 which was received by Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textile, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.

    Prime Minister has sent four Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hardeep Singh Puri, Kiren Rijiju, and VK Singh to Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland to oversee the evacuation of Indians.

    The Modi government has also roped in ministers to monitor smooth evacuation and receive Indians at Delhi and Mumbai Airport who are coming from Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland under Operation Ganga.

    Ministers Jitendra Singh, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Rao Inderjeet Singh, Narayan Rane, G Kishan Reddy, Kailash Choudhary, Parshottam Rupala, Bhagwant Khuba, Virendra Kumar, Meenakshi Lekhi, V. Muraleedharan, Bhagwat Karad, Nisith Pramanik, Shantanu Thakur, Rao Saheb Danve, Darshana Jardosh, Devusinh Chauhan, Bharati Pravin Pawar, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Subhas Sarkar, Kapil Patil have been assigned to receive the flights coming from neighboring countries of Ukraine carrying Indians. 

  • Four C-17 planes with 800 Indian evacuees from Ukraine to arrive on Thursday; 100 students enter Poland

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Four C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force with approximately 800 evacuees from Ukraine will be landing at the Hindon airbase here on Thursday, sources said.

    India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine’s western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.

    The IAF planes are also coming from these neighbouring countries only, sources mentioned.

    Four IAF aircraft with approximately 800 Indian evacuees will land at the Hindon airbase between 1.30 AM and 8 AM on Thursday, the sources added.

    Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt will receive the Indian evacuees at the airbase, they said.

    Amid heavy fighting around Kharkiv, India on Wednesday asked all its citizens stranded in the city to leave immediately for three safe zones that are in the range of up to 16 km from there.

    The embassy asked Indians to proceed to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km) even by foot if they cannot find vehicles or buses.

    The Ministry of External Affairs said the embassy asked Indian nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately on the basis of information from the Russian side.

    “For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately repeat immediately in the light of the detriorating situation.

    They should proceed to Pisochyn, Babai and Bezlyudivka as soon as possible for their safety,” the embassy said.

    The first advisory was put out on Twitter at around 1:40 pm (5 pm IST), while the second one was issued around 2:40 pm (6 pm IST).

    “The students who cannot find vehicles or buses and are in railway station can proceed on foot to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km),” the advisory said.

    The embassy further said: “Proceed immediately.

    Under all circumstances, Indians must reach these settlements by 1800 hours (Ukrainian time) today,” it said.

    Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University, was killed in intense shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

    Six flights from the Romanian capital Bucharest will bring back on Wednesday over 1,200 Indian students who have fled the war-hit Ukraine.

    India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine’s western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut down since February 24.

    Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is in Bucharest, said he met Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Wednesday to thank his government for facilitating entry and ensuring the safety of Indian citizens amid the “grim situation” at the Ukrainian borders.

    Scindia said on Twitter the Romanian prime minister has assured his continued support to Indian students crossing the Romanian borders.

    “We shared a mutual interest in expanding bilateral trade given the huge economic potential and presence of Indian businesses in Romania,” he noted.

    The aviation minister also said: “We are mounting six flights today (Wednesday) in Bucharest, Romania, carrying over 1,200 Indian students back to India.”

    He thanked Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo for rising to the challenge and working round-the-clock with the government on the evacuation operations.

    Scindia on Wednesday also held a meeting with heads of Indian companies that work in Romania to decentralise evacuation operations for Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive.

    Approximately 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.

    The aviation minister on Wednesday tweeted, “Chaired a meeting with Ambassador Rahul Shrivastava and the Indian diaspora — heads of Indian companies in Romania to decentralise the evacuation operations and map out responsibilities, including assisting with medical emergencies, a 24*7 call centre and state-wise data collection.”

    The diaspora members will also accompany to the border camps and help fill any gaps in arrangements, Scindia noted.

    “I thank them for their tireless efforts and commitment towards making Operation Ganga a quick success! Together, we shall overcome!” he stated.

    Four Union ministers have gone to Ukraine’s western neighbours to facilitate the evacuation of stranded Indians.

    Hardeep Singh Puri is in Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia is in Romania, Kiren Rijiju is in Slovakia and V K Singh is in Poland.

    IndiGo will send eight flights to Hungary, Poland and Romania on Thursday to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine following the Russian military offensive.

    India is evacuating its citizens stranded in Ukraine from its neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut down since February 24.

    “Two flights each will be operated via Istanbul, from Delhi to Budapest (Hungary) and Rzeszow (Poland); and two flights each will operate from Mumbai to Bucharest (Romania) and Suceawa (Romania) via Istanbul on Thursday,” IndiGo’s statement said on Wednesday.

    IndiGo said that while eight evacuation flights will depart from India on Thursday, its six repatriation flights will arrive in India on the same day.

    Since February 28, IndiGo’s six evacuation flights have arrived in India with over 1,300 Indians.

    Home was finally just a flight away for around 100 Indian students, who managed to cross over to Poland from war-hit Ukraine on Wednesday morning after experiencing several anxious moments over the last one week.

    The students, who had to brave hunger and freezing temperatures amid a sense of uncertainty, heaved a sigh of relief when they crossed over to Poland.

    They now await their flight back home on Thursday.

    “We finally made it after experiencing so many anxious moments in the last one week, including freezing nights at the underground railway station in Kyiv,” said Ansh Pandita, a third-year student of the Taras Shevchenko National Medical University in the Ukrainian capital.

    The students shared their picture as soon as they entered Poland.

    From the border, they were taken into buses kept in readiness by the Indian mission.

    “At Lviv, we saw a little over 20 students from the Kharkiv Medical College waiting to cross over,” said Ansh, who hails from Ghaziabad and had taken over the role of the leader of the group.

    The students had posted videos on social media platforms seeking help when they were stranded at the Vokzal station, Kyiv’s main train hub.

    Ansh and the other students who spoke to PTI over the phone from their hotel Prezydenckie in Rzeszow, located nearly 60 kilometres from the Poland-Ukraine border, said the Indian mission in Poland is organising their return, adding, “We are hopefully going to get our flight on Thursday.”

    “We were starved, tension was high for the last seven days, but now we are all safe and I can’t even describe the happiness in words,” an exhausted Ashna, the twin sister of Ansh, said.

    The students, after being left to fend for themselves by the Indian mission in Kyiv, hired a bus after reaching Lviv from the capital city at night.

    “Of course, we were in a dilemma whether to go to Poland or Hungary but then, all of us decided for Poland because it was nearer and we were dead exhausted,” Ansh said.

    After crossing the Ukraine border from Budomeriz, things went smoothly for the students.

    A mission bus took them to Rzeszow, where the Indian embassy staff registered them for their onward journey to India.

    The students had a traumatising time on Monday at the railway station in Kyiv, where they were not allowed to board a train and in some cases, the Ukrainian guards even beat them up.

    After they were pushed away from a number of trains, the students split into smaller groups and somehow managed to get on to a train to Lviv, where the officials of many embassies are stationed.

    The train was crowded and they could manage only standing space during the nine-hour journey.

    Back home in Ghaziabad, Ansh and Ashna’s parents Anil and Sunita breathed a sigh of relief following days of anxiety.

    “Last one week — seven days and seven nights — were a nightmare for me and my wife as we were horrified, frightened for our twin kids who got stuck in Kyiv. We had sleepless nights, only to keep faith in god that they will return safely.

    “We, as parents, were providing moral support to them, keeping them strong and supporting them so that they face the tough situation but down within, tears and anxiety were gripping us,” said Anil.

    “Finally, they managed to leave Kyiv at their own risk and without any support from the authorities and somehow managed to cross over to Poland today. This gave us some relief, but we are waiting for their safe return,” he added.

    Anil recalled that he was a displaced Kashmiri Pandit and had to build everything again from the scratch.

    “The government should ponder over why do we have to pay around Rs 1 crore for providing medical education to our children in India when it is cheaper in other countries,” he said, adding that they had to send their two kids far away because of the huge fee structure in India.

  • Ukraine crisis: 31 evacuation flights to bring back over 6,300 Indians in coming days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: As many as 31 evacuation flights will be operated to neighbouring countries of crisis-hit Ukraine and will bring back more than 6,300 Indians stranded in the eastern European nation, according to official sources.

    Under ‘Operation Ganga’, the flights will be operated by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Indian Air Force.

    From March 2, 21 evacuation flights will be operated to bring back Indians from Bucharest in Romania, while 4 will be from Budapest in Hungary, the sources said.

    Further, 4 flights will be operated to bring back people from Rzeszow in Poland and 1 flight from Kocise in Slovakia.

    Indian Air Force will be bringing back Indians from Bucharest. Together, the planned 31 flights – from March 2 till March 8 – will be coming back with more than 6,300 people.

    The sources on Wednesday said Air India Express and SpiceJet planes have a capacity for around 180 people while Air India and IndiGo can carry up to 250 and 216 passengers, respectively.

    While Air India Express will be operating a total of 7 flights, SpiceJet will press 4 flights into service. Air India will operate 7 flights and IndiGo will fly back people in 12 flights.

    Air India Express and Air India will be flying in people from Bucharest while IndiGo has planned 4 flights each from Bucharest, Budapest and Rzeszow.

    SpiceJet will operate 2 flights from Bucharest, 1 from Budapest and 1 from Kocise in Slovakia.

    The sources said 9 evacuation flights have brought back Indians stranded in Ukraine since February 26, and around 5-6 flights are “underway”.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that six flights under ‘Operation Ganga’ have departed for India in the last 24 hours.

    “#OperationGanga developments. Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours. Includes the first flights from Poland. Carried back 1,377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine,” he said in a tweet this morning.

    On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that around 2,000 Indians have returned to their homeland, while 4,000-5,000 are getting ready to be brought back by flights.

    Amid the Russian offensive against Ukraine, India started the evacuation of around 14,000 of its stranded citizens in the Eastern European country on February 26.

  • Pilot shortage affects AI operations

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Air India, which has been sending evacuation flights to bring back Indians from Ukraine, sent its smaller aircraft (Boeing 787 Dreamliner) due to shortage of pilots who fly bigger aircraft, like the Boeing 747.

    Nearly 1,400 Indians have been flown back to India in the first six evacuation flights from Ukraine. More persons could have been evacuated had Air India been able to send a larger capacity aircraft like the B 747.While the Dreamliner has a capacity of 330 passengers, B 747s can fly up to 600 passengers. According to sources, this has happened due to shortage of pilots that fly this aircraft. It is reliably learnt that pilots who were flying B 744 (B 747-400) have been sent to fly B 777, B 787 and A 320.

    According to sources, the four B 747 aircraft that Air India has at present are being considered to be utilised later for cargo and Haj operations (two each). Since the B 747 pilots have been asked to fly B 744, in order to return back to flying B 747 they will have to do an extended ground refresher course, couple of simulator and route checks. The Boeing 744 simulator was decommissioned due to maintenance, and in the interim pilots were using simulator of Singapore Airlines. 

    Air India has refused to comment on the shortage of pilots. “Positioning of aircraft depends on various factors, including availability of aircraft, ground handling infrastructure at destination airports, fuel efficiency etc. Due to operational reasons and infrastructure feasibility. B787 aircraft are being used now,” an Air India spokesperson told TNIE.

    Air India operates 141 aircraft, including the Air India Express’s 24 Boeing B737-800s. Around 43 of these are on lease. The Air India fleet of aircraft includes Airbuses (A 319-100, A 320-200, A 320-200neo, A 321-200) and Boeings (B 747-400, B 777-200(LR), B 777-300(ER) and B 787-800. Meanwhile, more airlines from India will now fly back those stranded in Ukraine. 

  • Three more flights bring back 688 Indians from Ukraine, Government says taking steps to ensure return of all stranded citizens

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India on Sunday evacuated 688 more nationals from war-hit Ukraine on three Air India flights and said it was in touch with the other countries in that region to ensure the return of all its stranded citizens as concerns mounted over their safety.

    Approximately 13,000 Indians are in Ukraine as of now, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who received the evacuees at the Delhi airport this morning, said.

    Around a thousand Indians have already been flown out of Romania and Hungary and another 1,000 have been evacuated from Ukraine through the land routes, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told a media briefing.

    He said that locations of the Indian citizens are being shared with Ukraine and Russia for ensuring their protection and Indians who are near the borders with Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are being guided towards the respective border points in phases. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has also been urged to escort the Indians safely out of the country.

    Scenes of tearful reunion were seen at the Delhi airport after two Air India flights from Romanian capital Bucharest and one from Hungarian capital Budapest arrived with 688 Indian nationals on Sunday.

    IndiGo also said it will operate two flights to Budapest via Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday from Delhi to bring back Indians.

    The first evacuation flight from Bucharest with 219 people on board had landed in Mumbai a day earlier under Operation Ganga and many of the returnees reached their home states.

    “Since we were evacuated quickly, we escaped from the impact (of war), but a large number of students are stuck on the eastern side of Ukraine,” Selvapriya, a student from Tamil Nadu who is studying in an institution in western Ukraine, said on her return.

    Belonging to Pudukottai district, Selvapriya said several students from the western region have crossed the Romanian border and that they had to walk for about 5-8 kilometers to get out of Ukraine.

    A Vadodara-based man, whose daughter managed to come back, said the family was desolate ever since they got the news of the war in Ukraine.

    “We can smile now that our daughter is here,” he said.

    However, it continues to be a harrowing wait for hundreds of families whose kin are still not back from Ukraine. Videos shared on social media showed Malayali students huddled in bunkers or underground metro stations in various parts of eastern Ukraine in below-freezing temperatures, crying out for help.

    Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his immediate intervention.

    In the letter, he said some of the Indians have taken refuge in bunkers in eastern cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv and Sumi and were facing food and water shortage.

    Chandigarh-based Dinesh Dogra, whose daughter Simran, too is stuck in Kharkiv, said she and her friends take shelter in bunkers when sirens buzz outside.

    “We pray when there are air raid sirens and shelling, Simran told the media over a video call. We are worried about her safety and the well-being of other children with her. These days we are not able to sleep,” Dogra said.

    The Ministry of External affairs, meanwhile, said a dedicated Twitter handle @opganga has been set up to assist in the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine.

    Shringla said he held separate meetings with the ambassadors of Ukraine and Russia and shared with them the locations of the Indian citizens in Ukraine for ensuring their protection.

    The foreign secretary said though the border crossings to Hungary and Romania are functioning, the exit point to Poland has been clogged with lakhs of Ukrainians and foreign nationals trying to leave the strife-torn country through it.

    India is using the land routes to evacuate its citizens as Ukraine has closed its airspace for civilian aircraft following the Russian attack.

    Shringla said that Indians who are near the borders with Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are being guided towards the respective border points in phases.

    “We are aware of a number of Indian citizens, particularly students, who continue to be in cities in the east and south-east of Ukraine.

    “‘Unfortunately, these areas are live conflict areas and it is generally deemed unsafe for people to move around freely. We will try to find suitable evacuation modalities for them,” he said.

    He said approximately 2,000 Indian citizens were in Kyiv and many of them have begun to move to the western part of the country.

    Shringla said the Indian embassy in Ukraine suggested that those who are located in the eastern areas including Kyiv should start moving westwards to avoid the areas of increasing conflict and that they should come near the border points.

    “We have also contacted the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. Our Permanent Representative in Geneva has spoken to the President of the ICRC,” he said.

    “The ICRC is commencing its operation in Ukraine. We have told them to please make sure that as and when they start their operation, they should be cognisant of the needs of our citizens and wherever possible escort them out,” he added.

    Early this morning, Scindia welcomed the evacuees of the AI1942 flight at the Delhi airport by handing out roses to them.

    Scindia told reporters at the airport terminal that approximately 13,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine as of now.

    “You know it is an extremely sensitive situation there (Ukraine). In this situation, we are talking with each Indian national, including students, through telecommunications,” he said.

    “We will bring them back as soon as possible,” he said.

    Addressing the returnees, Scindia said, “I know you all have been through a very, very difficult time, a very, very trying time. But know this that the PM is with you at every step, the Indian government is with you at every step, and 130 crore Indians are with you at every step.”

    The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since February 24 morning when the Russian military offensive began. Therefore, the Indian evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.

    Scindia said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in touch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and talks are being held so that everyone is brought home safely.

    The minister said talks are also on with the Russian government, and the Indian government will breathe easy only after every stranded Indian is evacuated from Ukraine.

    “So, please pass on this message to all your friends and all your colleagues that we are with them and we will guarantee their safe passage back,” Scindia said.

    The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said on Sunday that whenever curfew is lifted and people are moving around in a neighbourhood, Indian nationals are advised to use nearby railway stations to proceed towards western parts of the country.

    The western parts of the country are relatively conflict-free as of now.

    The transportation mode of Railways is operational and safer Ukrainian Railways is also operating special trains for evacuation of people free of charge on a first-come-first-serve basis at the railway station, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine noted.

    It said Indians should travel in groups and carry only essentials in a rucksack or a bag.

  • Air India​ evacuation flights costing Rs 7-8 lakh per hour: Source

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: As Air India ferries hundreds of Indians stranded in Ukraine, the cost of operating a two-way evacuation flight will be more than Rs 1.10 crore and the amount will go up depending on the duration of the flights.

    The airline is operating the services with wide-body Boeing 787 plane, better known as Dreamliner, from neighbouring countries of conflict-ridden Ukraine, including Romania and Hungary.

    It has already brought back hundreds of Indians.

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    The flights have been chartered by the Indian government.

    An airline source told PTI that the cost of operating a chartered flight with the Dreamliner is around Rs 7 to 8 lakh per hour and the total amount will depend “on where we are going and how far we are going”.

    The total cost will include expenses related to crew, fuel, navigation, landing and parking charges.

    Also, considering that these flights are for relatively long duration, there will be two sets of crew onboard.

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    The crew that operates the first leg of the flight will take rest in the return leg and will be replaced by another set of crew, the source said on condition of anonymity.

    Currently, Air India is operating flights to Bucharest (Romania) and Budapest (Hungary) and both are offline stations for the airline, which means it does not have scheduled services to these places.

    According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the flight from Bucharest to Mumbai that landed on Saturday night was for a duration of nearly six hours.

    The flight from Budapest to Delhi was for about six hours and another flight from Delhi to Bucharest took over seven hours.

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    An Air India flight from Bucharest to Delhi took over 5 hours.

    As the cost will be between Rs 7 to 8 lakh per hour, the total cost for a round trip will be more than Rs 1.10 crore.

    The figure is calculated under the assumption that overall duration of the to and fro flight is around 14 hours.

    The expenses will shoot up in case the duration is longer.

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    The government is not charging people for the evacuation flights.

    Some state governments have also announced that they will bear the expenses of people from their respective states who are returning from Ukraine.

    The Dreamliner has more than 250 seats.

    According to pilots who fly Dreamliners, the aircraft on an average consumes 5 tonnes of fuel per hour.

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    The source said that once the operations are complete, the exact cost will be worked out and then the airline will send the bill to the government for reimbursement.

    Air India did not offer comments on queries about the cost involved in operating the evacuation flights.

    According to the source, the overall cost will be comparatively lower if the chartered flight is operated to a scheduled destination as already factors like getting fuel would have been taken care of.

    In evacuation operations, the airline operates a ferry flight from India to the destination concerned.

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    Generally, a ferry flight refers to service wherein the plane does not have people onboard except the crew members.

    Till now, a few Air India flights have returned with Indians, who were stranded in Ukraine, from Bucharest and Budapest.

    Indians crossed the Ukranian borders with Romania and Hungary, respectively, before they were flown out from these destinations.

    On February 24, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that around 16,000 Indians, mainly students, were stranded in Ukraine, which is now engaged in an intense battle with Russia.

    ALSO READ: For Taiwan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine feels far away

    Since then, over 900 Indians have returned and there would be now around 15,000 Indians in Ukraine and its border areas.

    Ukranian airspace is closed for civilian flights since February 24 amid the Russian offensive.

  • Air India’s second flight carrying 250 Indian evacuees from Ukraine lands in Delhi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Air India’s second evacuation flight from Romanian capital Bucharest carrying 250 Indian nationals who were stranded in Ukraine landed at the Delhi airport in the early hours of Sunday, government officials said. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia welcomed the evacuees at the airport by handing out roses to them.

    India on Saturday began the evacuation of its stranded citizens amid the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, with the first evacuation flight, AI1944, bringing back 219 people from Bucharest to Mumbai in the evening.

    The second evacuation flight, AI1942, carrying 250 Indian citizens landed at the Delhi airport around 2.45 am on Sunday, the officials said.

    Air India’s third evacuation flight, AI1940, which will depart from Hungarian capital Budapest, is also scheduled to return with evacuees to Delhi on Sunday, they said. The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since February 24 morning when the Russian military offensive began.

    Therefore, the Indian evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.

    Indian nationals who reached the Ukraine-Romania border and Ukraine-Hungary border were taken to Bucharest and Budapest, respectively, by road with the assistance of Indian government officials so that they could be evacuated in these Air India flights, the officials said.

    The government is not charging the rescued citizens for the evacuation flights, they said. Air India shared on Twitter photos of Scindia receiving the evacuees at the airport.

    “Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia receiving the Indian nationals who were flown back to Delhi from Bucharest by AI 1942 on February 27 early morning, operated to evacuate Indians stranded at war-ravaged Ukraine,” the airline said.

    Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on February 24 that around 16,000 Indians, mainly students, were stranded in Ukraine.

    The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said on Twitter on Saturday that Indian citizens in Ukraine should not move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with the Indian government officials there using the helpline numbers.

    “The situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the Embassy is working continuously with our Embassies in our neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens,” it mentioned.

    The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said it is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who are reaching border checkpoints without prior intimation.

    It said that staying in western cities of Ukraine with access to water, food, accommodation and basic amenities is relatively safer and advisable compared to reaching border checkpoints without being fully abreast of the situation.

    “All those currently in the eastern sector are requested to continue to remain in their current places of residence until further instructions, maintain calm, and stay indoors or in shelters as much as possible, with whatever food, water and amenities available and remain patient,” it said.

  • First AI flight carrying 219 Indian evacuees from Ukraine lands in Mumbai

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The first Air India flight carrying 219 Indian evacuees from Ukraine landed at the Mumbai airport from Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday evening, ATC sources said.

    Operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane, Air India flight AI-1944 touched down the runway at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) here at 7.50 pm, they said.

    Union Minister Piyush Goyal was at the airport to receive the Indian nationals returning from war-hit Ukraine on their arrival.

    The Air India flight had left from Mumbai for Bucharest at 3.38 am Saturday and landed there at around 10.45 am (Indian Standard Time). It departed for Mumbai at 1.55 pm (IST).

    #WATCH | Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcomes the Indian nationals safely evacuated from Ukraine at Mumbai airport pic.twitter.com/JGKReJE1ct
    — ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2022
    The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since the morning of February 24 and therefore, the evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.

    Indian nationals who reached the Ukraine-Romania border by road have been taken to Bucharest by Indian government officials so that they can be evacuated in the Air India flights.

    Around 16,000 Indians, mainly students, were stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on February 24.

    The distance between Kyiv and the Romanian border checkpoint is approximately 600 km and it takes anywhere between eight hours to 11 hours to cover it by road.

    The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Friday said it was working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier in the day said on Twitter that AI1944 with “219 Indian nationals has taken off from Romania”.

    “Regarding evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine, we are making progress. Our teams are working on the ground round the clock. I am personally monitoring,” he added.

    Air India will operate more flights on Saturday to Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.

    Prior to the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had operated a flight to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on February 22 that brought 240 people back. It had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26 but could not as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was consequently shut down.

  • Air India plane departs from Mumbai for Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An Air India plane departed from the Mumbai airport on Saturday morning for Romanian capital Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive.

    The flight, AI1943, took off from the Mumbai airport around 3.40 AM and is expected to land at the Bucharest airport around 10 AM (Indian Standard Time), senior government officials said.

    Indian nationals who have reached the Ukraine-Romania border by road are being taken to Bucharest by Indian government officials so that they can be evacuated in the Air India flight, they noted.

    Air India will operate more flights on Saturday to Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since the morning of February 24 and therefore, the evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.

    Around 20,000 Indians, mainly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, the officials said.

    Before the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had conducted one flight to Ukrainian capital Kyiv on February 22 that brought 240 people back to India.

    It had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26 but it could not do so as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was consequently shut down.

    Air India said on Twitter on Friday night that it will be operating flights on B787 aircraft from Delhi and Mumbai to Bucharest and Budapest on Saturday as special government charter flights to fly back stranded Indian citizens.

    The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Friday said it is working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.

    “At present, teams are getting in place at the following check points: Chop-Zahony Hungarian border near Uzhhorod, Porubne-Siret Romanian border near Chernivtsi,” it said.

    Indian nationals, especially students, living closest to these border checkpoints are advised to depart in an organised manner in coordination with teams from the Ministry of External Affairs to actualise this option, the embassy said.

    Once the above-mentioned routes are operational, the Indian nationals travelling on their own would be advised to proceed to the border checkpoints, it noted.

    The embassy advised Indian travellers to carry their passports, cash (preferably in US dollars), other essential items and COVID-19 vaccination certificates to the border checkpoints.

    “Print out Indian flag and paste prominently on vehicles and buses while travelling,” it said.

    The distance between Kyiv and the Romanian border checkpoint is approximately 600 kilometres and it takes anywhere between eight-and-a-half hours to 11 hours to cover it by road.

    Bucharest is located approximately 500 kilometres from the Romanian border checkpoint and it takes anywhere between seven to nine hours to cover the distance by road.

    The distance between Kyiv and the Hungarian border checkpoint is around 820 kilometres and it takes 12-13 hours to cover it by road.

  • Air India plans to operate two flights to Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Air India is planning to operate two flights to the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to a Russian military offensive, senior government officials said.

    Indian nationals who have reached the Ukraine-Romania border by road will be taken to Bucharest by officials of the Indian government so that they can be evacuated in the two Air India flights, they added.

    The Ukrainian airspace was closed for civil aircraft operations by the country’s authorities on Thursday morning and therefore, the evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest.

    The two Air India flights will depart from Bucharest on Saturday, the officials said. Air India did not respond to PTI’s request for comments on the development. Around 20,000 Indians — mainly students — are currently stranded in Ukraine, the officials noted.

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    The distance between the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the Romanian border is approximately 600 kilometres and it takes anywhere between eight and a half to 11 hours to cover the distance by road.

    The distance from the Ukraine-Romania border to Bucharest is approximately 500 kilometres and it takes anywhere between seven to nine hours to cover the distance by road.