Rescue Effort: India's Evacuation Flights From Europe Continue

Simple Flying

By Pranjal Pande

Published Feb 28, 2022

With thousands of citizens fleeing Ukraine, India has launched an airlift operation to get them home.

Photo: Getty Images

India has stepped up efforts to evacuate its citizens from Europe in light of the war in Ukraine. Under Operation Ganga, the government is chartering Air India and IndiGo flights on a near-daily basis to neighboring countries to help over 1,000 people escape as of today. Here's a look at the complex effort.

Critical

Ukraine is home to over 19,000 Indian nationals, most of whom are medical students in the country. While 4,000 were able to escape before the airspace closure, roughly 15,000 remain stranded in Ukraine or border countries. To reach them as quickly as possible, the government has teamed with airlines to launch 'Operation Ganga,' a multi-pronged effort to get Indians home.

Evacuation flights are currently operating from two cities, Bucharest, Romania, and Budapest, Hungary. Air India is leading the efforts, deploying its 787 Dreamliners to both cities to boost capacity and fly multiple rotations. At the time of writing, 12 flights have been scheduled, nine to Bucharest (eight AI and one IndiGo), and three to Budapest (two AI and one IndiGo) between 26th February and 2nd March alone. Five flights have successfully rescued over 1,000 citizens, while the sixth flight from Budapest with 240 passengers is currently on its way to New Delhi.

The A321neo model, including the LR and XLR variants, has been met with a positive response from many carriers. Photo: Getty Images

However, the task of bringing home nationals has become far more difficult in the last week. Ukraine shut its airspace on 24th February, the day Russia invaded the country, leaving millions in fear. This included thousands of Indians, who are stuck in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other cities, trying to get to the closest border checkpoint. Those who have reached the Polish border have struggled to cross too, with the government deploying diplomats to smoothen the process.

More flights to come

The next few days will see the government announce more flights as Indians make their way through border crossings into safe neighboring countries. India has made it clear that it plans on bringing home every citizen still stuck in the country, working with nations across Europe to ensure the same. This was the message from Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia when one of the first evacuation flights landed in Delhi.

Given the circumstances, the government has made all flights free for Indians returning home. The Economic Times notes that each flight 787 will cost â‚¹1.1 crores ($145,700), or roughly â‚¹8 lakhs ($11,000) an hour. IndiGo is also scheduled to start flying evacuation flights with its A321neos in the next few days, while SpiceJet is reportedly planning the same using a 737 soon.

For now, India is working hard to get its citizens home and nationals are urged to contact local embassies and hotlines for assistance if they are stuck.

Has the war in Ukraine affected you? Let us know in the comments.