Operation Ganga speeds up, evacuation flights from Indigo, SpiceJet and Al Express launched

The efforts are a part of the Operation Ganga Mission being executed by the Government of India in an attempt to evacuate the students stuck in Ukraine amid the escalating war.

New Delhi:Three major airline services in India have stepped forward to offer evacuation facilities for the Indians stuck in the war-torn Ukraine. While Indigo Airlines has decided to operate two evacuation flights using A321 aircraft today to bring back Indians safely, SpiceJet will also operate a special flight to the Hungarian capital Budapest on Friday. The Indigo flights, shall depart from Delhi for Bucharest in Romania and Budapest in Hungary via Istanbul. Meanwhile, AI Express also operated a Boeing 737 from Mumbai to Bucharest today. The flight will reportedly return one-stop via Kuwait to Mumbai with 182 Indian nationals.

The initiative is a part of the Operation Ganga Mission being executed by the Government of India in an attempt to evacuate the students stuck in Ukraine amid the escalating war. Meanwhile, one of the authorities at Indigo said, "We are closely liaising with the government to offer our support for more such evacuations."

As informed by the SpiceJet authorities, the airline will use its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for this special flight that will depart from Delhi on Monday evening. The aircraft will fly to Budapest from Delhi and the return flight will operate via Kutaisi, Georgia, it mentioned. SpiceJet further informed that it is planning to operate more evacuation flights and is in discussion with authorities concerned.

India has begun measures for the evacuation of its citizens from Romania and Hungary - the countries sharing land borders with Ukraine - on Saturday. While the Ukrainian airspace has been closed since the military offensive began on February 24, the Tata Group-owned Air India has evacuated a total of 1,156 Indian nationals in five evacuation flights so far. Its sixth flight with 240 Indian nationals will land in Delhi on Monday evening. Around 14,000 Indians, mainly college students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, while the government has been perpetually putting efforts for their safe repatriation.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday said that India is sending more people to Embassies to facilitate the evacuation process and is in continuous touch with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.