Operation Ganga: 6,000 Indians brought back from war-torn Ukraine; 31 evacuation flights in coming days

New Delhi: As many as 31 evacuation flights will be operated to neighbouring countries of crisis-hit Ukraine and will bring back more than 6,300 Indians stranded in the eastern European nation, according to official sources.

Under ‘Operation Ganga’, the flights will be operated by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Indian Air Force.

From 2 March, 21 evacuation flights will be operated to bring back Indians from Bucharest in Romania, while 4 will be from Budapest in Hungary, the sources said.

Further, 4 flights will be operated to bring back people from Rzeszow in Poland and 1 flight from Kocise in Slovakia.

Indian Air Force will be bringing back Indians from Bucharest.

Together, the planned 31 flights — from 2 March till 8 March — will be coming back with more than 6,300 people.

The sources on Wednesday said Air India Express and SpiceJet planes have a capacity for around 180 people while Air India and IndiGo can carry up to 250 and 216 passengers, respectively.

While Air India Express will be operating a total of 7 flights, SpiceJet will press 4 flights into service.

Air India will operate 7 flights and IndiGo will fly back people in 12 flights.

Air India Express and Air India will be flying in people from Bucharest while IndiGo has planned 4 flights each from Bucharest, Budapest and Rzeszow.

SpiceJet will operate 2 flights from Bucharest, 1 from Budapest and 1 from Kocise in Slovakia.

The sources said 9 evacuation flights have brought back Indians stranded in Ukraine since February 26, and around 5-6 flights are “underway”.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that six flights under ‘Operation Ganga’ have departed for India in the last 24 hours.

“#OperationGanga developments. Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours. Includes the first flights from Poland. Carried back 1,377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine,” he said in a tweet this morning.

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that around 2,000 Indians have returned to their homeland, while 4,000-5,000 are getting ready to be brought back by flights.

Amid the Russian offensive against Ukraine, India started the evacuation of around 14,000 of its stranded citizens in the Eastern European country on 26 February.

6,000 Indians brought back to country from Ukraine so far: Union minister

Of the 20,000 Indians who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine, 6,000 have been brought back to the country so far and the Centre is making all efforts for the safe return of the remaining ones, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Wednesday.

He was speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event.

“There were around 20,000 students/citizens who were stranded in Ukraine. Of them, 4,000 were brought back to India before February 24. Additional 2,000 students were brought back to India till Tuesday and efforts are on to evacuate the remaining Indians stuck there,” he said.

Since the number of stranded persons is big, defence aircraft are being used to bring them back to India, Muraleedharan said.

With the help of Ukraine’s neighbouring countries Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, the students are being evacuated to India, he said.

The Union government has initiated ‘Operation Ganga’ to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine.

When asked about Shiv Sena’s allegation that the name Operation Ganga is being used keeping the Uttar Pradesh elections is mind, he said, “It is not a political issue. It is national issue. It is pertaining to the safety of Indian citizens. There should not be any objection to the name.”

In Pune, the minister met the parents of some children, who are stuck in Ukraine.

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