8,503 Indians Return from Abroad in 43 Flights Under Vande Bharat Mission

Under this mission, Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with Ministry of External Affairs and state Governments for bringing Indians back to their homeland

8,503 Indians have been flown back to India in 43 inbound flights operated by Air India and Air India Express under Vande Bharat Mission in 6 days beginning from 7 May 2020.

Government of India started Vande Bharat Mission – one of the largest initiatives to repatriate nationals back to India, on 7 May 2020. Under this mission, Ministry of Civil Aviation is coordinating with Ministry of External Affairs and state Governments for bringing Indians back to their homeland.




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 viz. USA, UK Bangladesh, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Philippines, UAE and Malaysia to repatriate 14,800 Indians back in the first phase.

A statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation read, “Each and every function in this massive air evacuation mission strictly adheres to the safety and hygiene protocol laid down by the Government and DGCA. MoCA, AAI and Air India leave no stone unturned to prioritize the safety of passengers, the crew and ground handling staff in these sensitive medical evacuation missions.”