Flight to evacuate Indians from Ukraine to reach Mumbai today | REPRESENTATIVE
Union Minister Piyush Goyal will receive Indians evacuated from Ukraine amid Russia’s attack on the country on Saturday. The evacuees are travelling on an Air India flight which will land in Mumbai at 4 pm.
The Air India flight from Romania bringing home evacuated Indians from Ukraine will land at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport where they will be received by Goyal.
Indian nationals who reached the Ukraine – Romania border are being taken by Indian government officials to Bucharest by road from where they will board the Air India flight.
Notably, Ukrainian airspace was closed for civil aircraft operations since February 24 following Russian advances prompting evacuation flights to operate out of Budapest and Bucharest.
Air India had flown out one plane from Kyiv on February 22 prior to the closure of airspace. The flight had brought back 240 Indians.
New Delhi’s plans to operate two more flights on February 24 and 26 hit a snag after Russia’s aggression prompted Ukraine to shut its airspace for civil aviation.
On Friday, Air India took to Twitter to announce its operation of B 787 special government charter flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Bucharest and Budapest on Saturday to fly back stranded Indians.
Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had said on Friday that it was working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.
It said, “At present, teams are getting in place at the following check points: Chop-Zahony Hungarian border near Uzhhorod, Porubne-Siret Romanian border near Chernivtsi.”
The embassy had further said that Indian national and especially students living closest to these border checkpoints were to depart in an organised manner in coordination with teams from the Ministry of External Affairs to actualise the option.
Subsequently, in a fresh advisory today, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine asked its citizens not to move to border posts with coordinating with its officials.
A dedicated 24x7 control room has also been set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance and information to Indians in Ukraine.
