From 1990 Kuwait To War-Torn Ukraine: 6 Times Air India Proved That They Are True Saviour

India has a long history of bringing its people from abroad in case of any emergencies. When any crisis or an untoward situation arises in any country then the government of India immediately takes action and tries to go for the safe evacuation of its citizens. Several times, Indian citizens were safely brought back home after the government¡¯s intervention.

The Indian government is facilitating repatriation flights, as part of the ongoing Operation Ganga, for thousands of Indian nationals stranded in war-torn Ukraine.

Covid-19 | Image Credit: The Indian Express

A total of 17,000 Indian nationals have been trapped in several regions of Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on the country on Thursday, 24 February.

However, Operation Ganga in Ukraine isn¡¯t the first time that Air India has conducted large-scale evacuations of Indian nationals from foreign nations.

To add to the long list, Air India has been doing great work in bringing back stranded Indians. From 1990 Kuwait to 2022 Russia-Ukraine Crisis, there have been many occasions when Air India brought Indians home from abroad.

1. 1990 - When Saddam Hussain attacked Kuwait

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More than three decades ago, thousands of Indians were ferried in buses to Jordan from Kuwait, which was then under attack from Iraq, before they were flown to India, mostly by Air India. The mass evacuation of Indians in 1990 from Kuwait, which also found a place in the Guinness World Records, was the biggest evacuation by a civil airliner. The Kuwait airlift operation was launched in 1990, between August and October, after Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi forces. Air India and other aircraft were deployed to rescue 1,75,000 people.

2. 2006 - When Lebanon and Syria nearly went to war

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India had carried out one of its best evacuation operations from a war-like zone in 2006, when it brought back home around 2,300 people, including some from Sri Lanka and Nepal, who were caught in the Israel-Lebanon conflict, says a new book. The Indian Navy worked with Air India to evacuate almost 2,300 Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalis away from the conflict. This mission was complicated by Israel's naval blockade of Lebanon.

Evacuees had to be transported to Syria from where Indian navy vessels participating in naval exercises in the Mediterranean would take them to the island nation of Cyprus.

3. 2011 (Operation Safe Homecoming) - During the Libyan Civil War

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The Indian government had commenced Operation Safe Homecoming on February 26, 2011, to rescue over 15,400 Indian nationals stuck in Libya during the civil war. The Libyan civil war was fought between forces commanded by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel forces who wanted to oust the government.

Tensions escalated with protests in Benghazi on February 15 when in clashes with the protestors, police fired on the crowd with tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons. This led to a nationwide rebellion against Gaddafi. As protests intensified, the Indian government facilitated nine Air India flights from Libya (Tripoli and Sebha), Egypt (Alexandria), and Malta while others were evacuated by the Indian Navy.

4. 2015 (Operation Rahat) - When Yemen and Saudi Arabia locked horns

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Operation Raahat was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces and Air India to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Yemen during the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies in that country during the Yemeni Crisis. As the situation on the ground grew more acute, the Indian military again teamed up with Air India to evacuate 4,640 Indians and 960 citizens from 41 other countries including the US, the UK, France, Egypt, Sweden and Thailand. The evacuation by sea began on April 1, 2015, from the port of Aden.

5. 2020 (Vande Bharat Mission) - During Covid-19 Crisis

At the beginning of the pandemic, countries across the world restricted movement across their borders and airlines. At that time Air India had proved its worth by evacuating thousands of Indians trapped in China, Iran, Italy. In January 2020, a 423-seat Boeing 747 brought back Indians from Wuhan in China at a time when the city saw the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. The flight had five doctors and one paramedic on board. To minimise the risk of infection, there was no interaction between passengers and cabin crew. Even food was kept on the seats.

6. 2021 (Operation Devi Shakti) - When Taliban Takeover Afghanistan

Operation Devi Shakti was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul, the capital city, to the Taliban. As usual, this time also Indian air force and Air India joined hands to rescue citizens of India from Afghanistan. Besides, the Indian Air India flight brought back many Nepalese nationals from the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe to New Delhi.

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