Iran reopens skies for Indian evacuation
Iran has opened its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for Indian evacuation flights. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days.
Iran has opened its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for Indian evacuation flights. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days as part of the government's emergency evacuation programme, Operation Sindhu.
The first flight is due to land at 11:00 PM IST tonight. The second and third flights are scheduled for Saturday, one in the morning and another in the evening.
The Iranian airspace remains closed to most international flights following ongoing missile exchanges and drone attacks involving Israeli and Iranian forces. India has been granted an exclusive corridor to carry out the evacuation of its students.
India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up. Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.
"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
More than 4,000 Indian nationals are living in Iran and half of them are students.
According to official MEA briefings, 110 Indian students were evacuated from northern Iran earlier this week and transported to Yerevan, Armenia by road. The evacuation was carried out under close coordination between India's missions in Tehran and Yerevan. From Yerevan, they boarded a special flight at 14:55 hours on 18 June, landing in New Delhi in the early hours of 19 June.
"The Indian government is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for facilitating the safe passage of Indian nationals through their territories," an MEA spokesperson said.
Most of the students are residents of Jammu and Kashmir, with the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association confirming that 90 of the 110 evacuees on the first flight are from the union territory.
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