Air India plane leaves for Iraq to bring back freed nurses

NEW DELHI: An Air India Boeing 777 left here for Iraq this evening to bring back 46 nurses freed from captivity and also some others from India trapped in the strife-torn country.

The long-range aircraft which can accommodate about 300 passengers would land at Erbil, the largest city in northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan, pick up the Indian nationals and fly directly to Kochi, Air India officials said, adding that most of the Indians being brought back belonged to Kerala.

An Air India spokesperson said the special flight is slated to reach Kochi at 6.30 am tomorrow. Besides the Boeing 777, Air India has kept two Boeing 747 jumbos ready to fly at short notice, while cockpit and cabin crew to operate them are also on standby.

Air India's special customer service team would be at the airport to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers, the spokesman told PTI in Kochi.

Cochin International Airport Ltd Managing Director V K Kurien said all efforts were being made to ensure speedy clearance of immigration and cutoms formalities for the evacuees.

Airport Director A K C Nair said some passengers from other states were also expected to be on the special flight. The 46 Indian nurses, who were held captive by Sunni militants ISIS in strife-torn Iraq since yesterday and moved out of Tikrit to Mosul against their will, were set free earlier in the day today.