Air India Repatriation Flight Leaves for Ukraine to Bring Back Indians as Political Tensions Escalate

This morning, Air India’s planned repatriation flight from India to Ukraine took off for bringing back the Indian nationals. The airline used its B-787 Dreamliner aircraft, which has a capacity of over 200 seats, for its unique operation. Tonight, a flight from Ukraine will arrive in Delhi. Air India announced earlier this week that it would run three flights to Ukraine in the following week. The airline will run two more flights on February 24 and 26 after today’s flight. Russia has deployed over one lakh troops along its border with Ukraine and deployed warships to the Black Sea for naval manoeuvres, raising fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine among NATO members. Russia has denied any plans of invading Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) established a control room to provide information and help to Indian citizens in Ukraine. The Indian embassy in Ukraine has also established a 24-hour helpline for Indians living in the eastern European country.

Air India Plane Received Water Cannon Salute Upon Landing in the Maldives

In another development, an Air India flight to the Maldives was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute at Male airport to honour 46 years of air connectivity between India and the Maldives. In February 1976, Air India launched its inaugural flight to Male from Trivandrum, Kerala. Air India uploaded a video of its flight AI-267 being greeted at Male Airport on its official Twitter handle. “AI: AI-267 was welcomed with a water cannon salute as it landed at Male airport #MACLmedia today to commemorate 46 years of air service between India & Maldives. Air India operated its first flight from Trivandrum to Male in Feb 1976,” the caption stated. Air India is passing through a revamp phase, especially after its recent privatization. In January 2022, Tata Group took over the airline from the government of India. It was after 72 years that Tata Group took back Air India. The Group has planned a 100-day development plan for improving its on-time performance and customer service. The management recently appointed Ilker Ayci, a Turkish national, as the airline’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.