Russia-Ukraine war: Air India flight lands in Romania to evacuate stranded Indians
New Delhi, February 26: A special flight of Air India AI-1943 landed at Bucharest in Romania on Saturday morning for the evacuation of stranded Indians in Ukraine.
After the air route to Ukraine was shut down, this is the first special flight that took an alternative route. The 787 Dreamliner has a capacity of 256 people, and it is assumed that at least that number would return to India.
The government is expected to launch such flights to Ukraine's neighbouring nations to evacuate stranded Indians.
According to senior government officials, the aircraft, AI1943, took off from the Mumbai airport at 3.40 a.m. (Indian Standard Time) and landed at the Bucharest airport at 10.45 a.m. (Indian Standard Time).
They added that Indian people who crossed the Ukraine-Romania border by car were escorted to Bucharest by Indian government officials in order to be evacuated on an Air India flight.
Also Read | Why is Russia declaring war against Ukraine? Here’s what you should know
On Saturday, Air India will add more flights to Bucharest and Budapest to rescue Indians stranded in war-ridden Ukraine.
Since the morning of February 24, the Ukrainian airspace has been shut to civil aircraft operations, therefore evacuation flights are being operated out of Bucharest and Budapest.
Officials estimate that 20,000 Indians, mostly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine.
Air India had operated a flight to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, on February 22 that carried 240 people back to India before the Ukrainian airspace was closed.
India had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and 26 but was unable to do so due to the Russian offensive, which began on February 24 and resulted in the closure of Ukrainian airspace.
Meanwhile, India on Friday abstained from voting on UNSC resolution condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine saying that the "path of diplomacy was given up".
"India's deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine. We urge that all efforts are made for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities," said India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti at the UNSC meeting on Ukraine.
Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War Day 3 Live Updates: Russian troops captured Melitopol city in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya region
-PTC News
