Russia Ukraine War: Kyiv-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi as Ukraine closes airspace
Highlights
- Air India flight AI1947 returns to Delhi as Ukraine closes airspace
- Air India plane had took off for Ukraine to bring back Indians from the eastern European nation
- Russia's Putin has announced military operation in Ukraine
An Air India plane that took off for Ukraine on Thursday morning to bring back Indians from the eastern European nation, which is now facing a Russian offensive, is coming back.
The Air India flight AI 1947 started from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi at around 7.30 am for Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv. The plane was expected to arrive there in nearly six hours, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
However, the flight is coming back to Delhi due to NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) at Kyiv, news agency ANI reported. The Ukrainian authorities on Thursday morning closed the country's airspace for civil aircraft operations.
Meanwhile, a Ukraine International Airlines flight from Kyiv landed at the Delhi airport at around 7.45 am on Thursday.
"There were 182 Indian nationals onboard the flight and majority of them were students... A couple of more flights have been scheduled," Anju Wariah, Director at STIC Group, said.
The group is the General Sales Agent (GSA) for Ukraine International Airlines in India. After weeks of rising tensions, Russia on Thursday announced a military operation against Ukraine.
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