New Delhi: Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft took off from Hindan Air Force Station here for Romania at 4 am on Wednesday to bring back the remaining 40 per cent Indians still stuck in war-torn Ukraine.
The IAF aircraft will also help deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is reeling under a shortage of food, fuel, medical supplies and other essential items amid the Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, India has stepped up the pace of evacuation of Indian citizens, mostly students, who have crossed over to countries in Urkriane’s neighbourhood, and would be operating 26 flights in the next 3 days from Romania’s Bucharest and Hungary’s Budapest, airports in Poland and Slovak Republic.
Indian carriers — Air India, AI Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet — will operate mainly from Bucharest and Budapest. There will be a few flights to Poland and Slovakia, official sources said.
“Six flights have now departed for India in the last 24 hours, including the first flights from Poland. Carried back 1377 more Indian nationals from Ukraine,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar this morning.
So far, six flights have returned with students.
