New Delhi, Apr 01: About 5,98,000 passengers have returned to India amid the developing security situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, an official of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said on Wednesday.
The official said that three Indian nationals sustained minor injuries in an incident caused by debris from an interception in Dubai yesterday. He said that consulate is in close touch with them as it renders all possible assistance.
It is worth to mention that authorities in Dubai confirmed that the incident caused by debris from an interception that fell on houses in southern Dubai resulted in minor injuries to two Indian nationals, one Bangladeshi national, and one Sri Lankan national.
Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs, Aseem R Mahajan while addressing the inter-ministerial briefing on the latest developments in West Asia, said that the overall flight situation continues to improve with additional flights operating from the region to various destinations in India.
“Since February 28th, around 5,98,000 passengers have returned from the region to India. Airlines continue to operate limited non-scheduled flights based on operational and safety considerations between the UAE and India,” Mahajan noted.
He further added that around 90 flights are expected to operate from the UAE to India today.
“Around 90 flights are expected to operate from the UAE to India today. Flights are operating from various airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman to different destinations in India. With the Qatar airspace partially open, Qatar Airways is expected to operate around 8 to 10 flights to India today. Kuwait and Bahrain airspace remains closed. Jazeera Airways of Kuwait and Gulf Air of Bahrain have been operating non-scheduled commercial flights from Dammam airport of Saudi Arabia to various destinations in India,” Mahajan further informed.
He also said that due to flight restrictions and airspace closure, the travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated from Iran through Armenia and Azerbaijan to India, from Israel through Egypt and Jordan to India, from Iraq through Jordan and Saudi Arabia to India, and from Kuwait and Bahrain through Saudi Arabia to India.
He underlined that the Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Gulf and West Asia region and noted that the dedicated special control room is operational to assist Indian nationals and their families, with the missions and posts across the region working round the clock and remaining in close touch with the local governments.
