An Air India Boeing 787 jet left for Ukraine on Tuesday morning to bring back Indian nationals who had remained in the European country, sources reported.
Given the risk of conflict with Russia, India issued advisories advising its citizens to leave Ukraine temporarily. The Boeing 787 has a seating capacity of over 200 people. The special flight is scheduled to return to Delhi with the NRIs on Tuesday night. Flight tracking websites show that flight A11947 took off from Delhi at 7.36 a.m. for Ukraine.
Air India had announced on February 18 that it would operate three flights to the Boryspil International Airport near Kyiv on February 22, 24 and 26. Bookings have been open through Air India booking offices, website, call centre and travel agents.
According to an official document in 2020, Ukraine had a small but vibrant Indian community and there were about 18,000 Indian students studying in that country.
The ministry of civil aviation lifted restrictions under the ‘air bubble’ agreement with Ukraine on February 17. This would allow for an unlimited number of flights between the two countries, including charter services.