17 countries, 170 flights from July 3-15 for stranded Indians

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 28

The government today said it would be commencing the Vande Bharat Mission 4.0 and Air India has been assigned to conduct 170 flights to and from 17 countries between July 3 and 15.

The government had started the mission on May 6 to help stranded people reach their destination using special repatriation flights. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to Covid-19 induced lockdown.

Officials said under the fourth phase of the mission, Air India would be conducting 170 flights connecting India with Canada, the US, the UK, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, Ukraine and Vietnam.

The officials said around 38 flights were scheduled to operate between India and the UK and another 32 such operations would be conducted on routes connecting different destinations in the US. The AI would operate 26 flights between India and Saudi Arabia, they added.

Air India is scheduled to operate 495 chartered flights to and from various countries in the third phase, which began on June 10 and will end on July 4. The first phase was from May 7 to 16, following which the second phase began.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier said it was extending the suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger flights in the country till July 15, but indicated that some international scheduled services on selected routes on a case-to-case basis may be allowed by competent authorities.