AI flights from Libya return with 1034 Indians

A total of 1,034 Indians arrived in New Delhi by three special flights of Air India on Thursday, from strife-torn Libya, taking the number of evacuees from the north African country to 3,262.

The first special flight (AI-160), an Airbus 330 aircraft carrying 251 passengers and 10 infants, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi at around 0220 hrs, an airline official said.

The second flight (AI-180), a Boeing 747-400, brought 380 Indians at 0740 hrs while the third one (AI-170), also a Boeing 747-400, landed at 1315 hrs with 393 passengers on board, the official said.

Air India has brought back a total of 3,262 passengers from Libya so far and has sent three more aircraft -- two Boeing 747-400s and an Airbus 330 --

for Tripoli to airlift Indians still stranded there.

From Thursday, private carriers also joined the evacuation exercise along with the flag carrier, following directions from the  Indian government.

Jet Airways will be sending a 170-seater Boeing 737-800 aircraft to Djerba in Tunisia from Mumbai to bring back around 1,400 Indians who have reached there and are housed in local hotels by Indian Embassy personnel.

Also, Kingfisher operated a flight, an Airbus 321 with a seating capacity of 196, for Borg-el-Arab airport in Alexandria in Egypt to bring back Indians who have crossed over to that country.

Yesterday, the national carrier had brought back a total of 1,045 Indians in three batches from the strife-torn country.