Vande Bharat Mission: Air India flight to arrive with 169 stranded Indians from Armenia

Under the Vande Bharat Mission, an Air India flight carrying 169 stranded Indians took off from Yerevan for Delhi and Chennai on June 23. The MEA had earlier confirmed that as many as 2,50,087 Indian nationals stranded abroad have been repatriated since the beginning of Vande Bharat Mission last month.

READ: India To Expand Vande Bharat Mission To Evacuate More Indians From Abroad

Earlier on May 29, the Indian Embassy in Armenia had tweeted: "#VandeBharatMission successfully evacuated stranded 129 Indians in #Armenia by @airindiainflight AI 1960 YER-DEL-COK. Thank you all who made it happen @PMOIndia@narendramodi@DrSJaishankar@harshvshringla@MEAIndia@IndianDiplomacy@MFAofArmenia@MinHealth_Armenia #ACAA". 

READ: Vande Bharat Mission: Over 800 Stranded Indians Brought Home Via Four Flights On May 25

India adds more flights to Vande Bharat Mission

As per reports, the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission has widened the scope of the mission and there were more countries, thereby increasing the number of entry points.

India has added 58 more flights to evacuate stranded and distressed nationals from Gulf countries between now and June 30, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on June 10. He informed that the number of flights from Gulf under phase-3 of the 'Vande Bharat Mission' has been increased from originally planned 107 to 165.

The minister further said that Phase 3 of Vande Bharat Mission will have 80 flights to Europe, including two daily flights to London and two to other European destinations, between now and 30 June. Moreover, 10 additional flights to the United States and Canada will be flown apart from 70 that have already been announced.

State-run carrier Air India had previously announced that it will operate around 300 flights to Europe, Australia, Canada, the USA, the UK and Africa between June 10 and July 1 during phase 3 of Vande Bharat Mission.

READ: Air India Reveals Bringing Back 50 Moms-to-be Aboard One Vande Bharat flight On May 11

READ: Vande Bharat Mission: Over 20,000 People Returned To India By Special Flights Since May 6

Image: @IndiainArmenia