Over 6,000 Indians brought home on 31 flights during first five days of Vande Bharat mission

NEW DELHI: Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express have operated 31 inbound flights during the first five days of the Vande Bharat mission, bringing home 6,037 Indians who were stranded abroad amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday.

Air India and Air India Express are scheduled to operate total 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 to bring in approximately 15,000 Indians who are stranded in 12 countries.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 70,000 people and killed around 2,290 people in the country so far.


'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 7th May 2020,' the Civil Aviation Ministry said in its press release on Tuesday.