New Delhi: In a fine gesture, Iran made an exception to open its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for Indian evacuation flights amid the bruising military conflict with Israel.
Around 1,000 Indian students stuck in Iran are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days, as part of New Delhi’s emergency evacuation programme, Operation Sindhu.
Chartered flights of Mahan Air, a privately-owned Iranian airline, have been arranged from Mashhad to transport Indian students, India Today reported.
The first flight is due to land at 11 pm on Friday night, followed by two more on Saturday morning and evening.
The Indian government launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran two days ago, when 110 students — mostly from Jammu & Kashmir — were moved out of northern Iran by road and transported across the border into Armenia.
The students then boarded a special flight from Armenian capital of Yerevan on June 18, and landed safely in Delhi in the early hours of June 19.
Iran’s airspace has remained closed to most international flights because of frequent missile exchanges and drone attacks between Israeli and Iranian forces.
On Thursday, India announced Operation Sindhu for its citizens from Israel also.
