Air India special flight departs with 151 Indians from Jeddah

Air India special flight with 151 stranded Indians on board departed from Jeddah for Kerala's Kozhikode on Wednesday.

Air India special flight with 151 stranded Indians on board departed from Jeddah for Kerala's Kozhikod on Wednesday. "1st AI Flight under #VandeBharatMission from Jeddah to Kozhikode departed at 1700 hrs with 151 persons on board. CG @NoorRahman_IFS oversaw the departure operations at the airport & wished everyone a happy reunion with their families back in India," India consulate in Jeddah tweeted.

India began phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7 under Vande Bharat Mission. The government had said that Air India will operate 64 flights in a week to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals. Over 8,500 Indians have already returned till today's morning and more flights are underway, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet. (ANI)