Air India Boeing flight to bring back Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine to airport

An Air India Boeing aircraft departing from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in the capital of Bucharest early on Saturday to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive, is expected to arrive at 8 pm, according to the airport operator.

CSMIA has blocked a special corridor for the arriving passengers, according to a statement by the company.

Air India flight AI-44 had left Mumbai at 3.38 am and landed in Bucharest around 10.45 am, an AI official said earlier in the day.

Since February 24th, the Ukrainian airspace has been closed for civil aircraft operations and evacuation flights are operated from Bucharest and Budapest.

In light of the current crisis in Ukraine, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA is extending full support to the evacuation of the stranded Indian students who arrived in Mumbai today by AI-44 at 8 pm Expected Time of Arrival, CSMIA said.

According to officials, around 20,000 Indians, mostly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine.

The private airport operator said that it has fenced in a special area for the arriving passengers to sit, and will also provide them with free Wi-Fi codes, distribute food and water bottles.

They will be provided with any guidance or medical assistance if required at the time of arrival, it said.

The Airport Health Organization APHO team at the facility will conduct mandatory temperature checks as per the guidelines laid down by the government, according to the airport's blocking of a special corridor for arriving passengers.

Passengers would have to produce a COVID- 19 vaccine certificate or a negative RT-PCR test report at the time of arrival. If a passenger is not able to show all of the documents at the time of arrival, they will have to undergo RT-PCR testing at the airport, where the cost would be borne by the airport, it said.

After testing negative, these passengers would be able to leave the airport.

Air India had operated one flight to Ukraine's capital Kyiv on February 22 that brought 240 people back to India before the closure of Ukrainian airspace.

It had planned to operate two more flights on February 24 and February 26 but it could not do so as the Russian offensive began on February 24 and the Ukrainian airspace was shut down.