Mission airlift: Air India brings back 219 nationals from Ukraine

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 26

The first Air India flight carrying 219 Indians evacuated from war-torn Ukraine through Bucharest landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport late on Saturday. One flight each from the Romanian capital and Hungarian capital Budapest are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

“Bucharest to Mumbai, AI 1944 arrived at Mumbai around 7.50 pm with 219 passengers today. Happiness and relief on the faces of the passengers on landing in India safely (sic),” Air India tweeted. The airline also posted a short video showing the first batch of evacuees clapping in joy on returning to India.

The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civilian air operations since February 24 morning after Russia invaded the country. India is, therefore, operating evacuation flights out of Bucharest and Budapest. Union Minister Piyush Goyal was at the Mumbai airport to receive the Indian nationals. Two more flights—AI1942 from Bucharest and AI1940 from Budapest—are scheduled to arrive in Delhi on Sunday.

Indians reaching Romania and Hungary borders were being taken to Bucharest and Budapest through road by Indian officials to facilitate their evacuation, officials said.

The government was “not charging” the rescued passengers for the evacuation flights. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted that India was making progress regarding evacuation. “Our teams are working round the clock. I am personally monitoring it,” he wrote. —

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