Under the Vande Bharat Mission, Air India's special flight from Dubai landed at Karnataka's Mangalore International Airport on Tuesday with 176 passengers. While another Air India Express flight, which had made a stoppage in Bengaluru, arrived at Kerala's Cochin International Airport with 135 passengers and 3 infants from Singapore.
These two evacuation operations are part of the country's largest-ever initiative to repatriate nationals back to India amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
On Tuesday, Ministry of Civil Aviation had said that a total of 6,037 Indians have been flown back to India in 31 inbound flights operated by Air India and Air India Express under Vande Bharat Mission in 5 days beginning from May 7.
"Under this mission, Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with Ministry of External Affairs and state Governments for bringing Indians back to their homeland," the Ministry said.
Air India along with its subsidiary Air India Express are operating a total of 64 flights (42 by Air India and 24 by AI Express) to 12 countries including USA, UK Bangladesh, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, UAE and Malaysia to repatriate 14,800 Indians back in the first phase.
The second phase of Vande Bharat Mission will be launched from May 16-22 during which 149 flights, including feeder flights, will be operated to bring back Indians from 31 countries, sources said.
( With inputs from ANI )