AI plane departs for Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine
An Air India (AI) plane departed from Mumbai airport early on Saturday morning for Romanian capital Bucharest, to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive.
Flight AI1943 took off from the Mumbai airport at around 3:40 am and is expected to land at the Bucharest airport around 10 am (Indian Standard Time).
Indian nationals, who have reached the Ukraine-Romania border by road, are being taken to Bucharest by Indian government officials, so that they can be evacuated in the Air India flight.
Air India will operate more flights on Saturday to Bucharest and Hungarian capital Budapest, to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations since February 24 and therefore, the evacuation flights are operating out of Bucharest and Budapest.
Also read: Proceed towards Romanian, Hungarian borders: Indian embassy tells citizens in Ukraine
Around 20,000 Indians, mainly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, according to senior government officials.
Before the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had flown one flight to Ukrainian capital Kyiv on February 22, that brought 240 people back to India.
Air India had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26, but it could not do so as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was consequently shut down.
Air India said in a tweet on Friday that it will be operating flights on B787 aircraft from Delhi and Mumbai to Bucharest and Budapest on Saturday as special government charter flights, to fly back stranded Indian citizens.
#FlyAI : @TataCompanies pic.twitter.com/f3lyxD08nX
— Air India (@airindia) February 25, 2022
The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Friday said that it is working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary.
“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 said.
“Indian nationals, especially students, living closest to these border checkpoints are advised to depart in an organised manner, in coordination with teams from the Ministry of External Affairs, to actualise this option,” the embassy said.
Important Advisory to all Indian Nationals/Students in Ukraine as on 25 February 2022.@MEAIndia @PIB_India @DDNewslive @PIBHindi @DDNational @IndianDiplomacy @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/79124Ks0Sm
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) February 25, 2022
“Once the above-mentioned routes are operational, the Indian nationals travelling on their own would be advised to proceed to the border checkpoints,” the embassy noted.
The embassy advised Indian travellers to carry their passports, cash (preferably in US dollars), other essential items and COVID-19 vaccination certificates to the border checkpoints.
“Print out Indian flag and paste prominently on vehicles and buses while travelling,” the embassy said.
Also read:
The distance between Kyiv and the Romanian border checkpoint is approximately 600 kilometres, and it takes anywhere between eight-and-a-half hours to 11 hours to cover it by road.
Bucharest is located approximately 500 kilometres from the Romanian border checkpoint and it takes anywhere between seven to nine hours to cover the distance by road.
The distance between Kyiv and the Hungarian border checkpoint is around 820 kilometres and it takes 12-13 hours to cover it by road.
(With inputs from Agencies)
