New Delhi: An AirAsia India evacuation flight from Suceava, Romania, carrying 170 Indian evacuees from Ukraine landed in Delhi early Saturday morning, said an airline spokesman. This was the Bengaluru-based budget carrier's maiden flight under 'Operation Ganga,' a federal government programme to repatriate Indian people back from war-torn Ukraine.
According to the official, an AirAsia India flight from Sauceva, Romania, through Dubai, arrived at Delhi Airport at 4 a.m. Saturday with 170 Indian evacuees from Ukraine.
On their arrival in India, the passengers were met by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, according to the official. He said, an AirAsia India aircraft, an Airbus A320Neo, departed Delhi at 8.30 a.m. on Friday for its destination via Dubai and departed Suceava at 6.45 p.m. (local time) for Delhi. The airline has stated that it is considering adding a couple additional evacuation flights to its schedule.
Because Ukraine's airspace has been closed since February 24, due to a Russian military offensive, India has begun evacuating its citizens via special aircraft from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.
Apart from commercial flights run by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Go First, SpiceJet, and AirAsia India, the Indian Air Force is assisting the government in returning stranded Indians back to India.
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