A total of 168 Indian nationals are returning from Maldives today through Air India flight destined to Trivandrum and Bengaluru. Passengers had started gathering at Male airport since morning and thanked Indian government for Vande bharat mission for evacuation of Indian nationals.
Another two flights are scheduled in the next two days for Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. The repatriation is being carried out in coordination with the Indian High Commission in Male. With this evacuation, over three and half thousand people have been brought back from Maldives since the mission began. Indian navy ship INS Jalashwa has ferried thrice while INS Magar made a maiden voyage carrying over two thousand people as part of Samudra setu program. Two Air India flights were arranged last month to Delhi and Bengaluru.
The Indian high commission is also helping in arranging chartered flights for companies and individual groups. Maldives has over twenty thousand Indian nationals and over five thousand have registered to return in wake of the COVID crisis.
