Egypt row: Flight with 3rd batch of Indians

Another batch of Indians, who were caught in the violent unrest in Cairo over the demand for the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, reached Mumbai by a special 'ferry' flight of Air India on Thursday.

The special flight AI-161, a Boeing 747-800 aircraft, carrying 212 passengers on board, landed at 5.22 am at the city's Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport, an Air India spokesperson said.

The passengers included a group of 48 staffers of the joint-venture company TCI Sunmar Chemicals, based in Portside city, nearly 200 kms away from Cairo, who have been recalled by the company till the situation improves in the strife-hit African country.

"Since the plant is shut for the past few days in the wake of protests, the company decided to recall us. However, as soon as the situation improves, we will be joining the Portside plant again," a TCI Sunmark employee said.

"We decided to leave the country as the ATMs had run out of cash and there was a possibility of food supply shortage," said Manish, an employee of Asian Paints, who has been on deputation to Cairo and living there since the past one-and-half years.

This was the third flight which Air India operated in the last four days. The national carrier has already transported 534 people back home, including 46 children and two infants, in two flights which it operated as a special measure to airlift Indians stranded in Cairo.