Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers welcoming the evacuees from Ukraine at IGIA today
New Delhi: In all 2185 persons came back to India today through 10 special civilian flights, the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed here today. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today stated that over 6200 Indians had so far returned from Ukraine through special civilian flights and more than 7400 Indians were expected to arrive in next two days.
Today’s flights included 5 from Bucharest, 2 from Budapest, 1 from Kosice, and 2 from Rzeszow by Civilian airlines. In addition, 3 Indian Air Force flights were bringing more Indians between 11 pm on March 3 and early morning of March 4, 2022. Four IAF flights had already brought 798 Indian nationals between midnight of March 2 and early morning of March 3. The number of civilian flights would be scaled up further, and more than 7400 persons were expected to be brought through special flights in next two days, the Ministry stated. Another 3500 persons were expected to be brought back tomorrow and over 3900 on March 5, 2022.
Around 200 students and Indian citizens from Ukraine were brought back to India as part of Operation Ganga today. Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers received the evacuees, most of them students, at Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi, where a special Indigo flight landed today morning.
The Indigo flight had taken off from the Istanbul International Airport, at 10.35 p.m. (IST) on March 2, 2022 and reached New Delhi at 8.31a.m. today. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet have joined the Operation Ganga mission operating multiple flights from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to Delhi and Mumbai.
India has mounted a massive rescue operation named ‘Operation Ganga’ to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine. Ministry of External Affairs stated that in close coordination with Ministry of Civil Aviation, it was making all efforts to bring the Indian students back to India in fast pace. Indian Airlines are putting their resources in faster evacuation process. Four Union Ministers- Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and Gen (Retd) V.K. Singh have already gone to countries adjoining Ukraine to support and supervise these operations. Indian Civilian planes as well as Indian Air Force planes were regularly bringing back stranded Indian students. The evacuation process had begun on February 22, 2022.
