Private airlines asked to operate one flight everyday to Libya

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday instructed all private airlines to operate one flight each to Libya everyday from tomorrow to bring back stranded Indians from the strife-torn country.

Jet Airways and Kingfisher would be flying to Libya tomorrow as part of the massive airlift exercise, sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry said here.

The target, said sources, is to bring back 2000 Indians back daily.

National carrier Air India, which had been operating two flights for the last three days, would send three aircraft to Libya beginning tomorrow.

So far 1,083 people have been evacuated by the four Air India special flights.

With Government intensifying the evacuation drive, nearly a third of 18,000 Indians in Libya would have been evacuated through air and sea by tomorrow.