AI airlifts 2 batches out of Libya
An Air India aircraft carrying the first batch of Indians, 291 people, from strife-torn Libya was expected to land in New Delhi around midnight.
The Libyan government has given landing clearance for two Air India planes per day from Saturday till March 7 for evacuation of Indian nationals.
A Boeing 747 carrying 291 Indian nationals from Libya took off at 4.10 pm IST. It was expected to land at New Delhi’s IGI Airport at around 11.50 pm Saturday. An Air India Airbus A-330 (capacity 300) also left Tripoli at 8.15 pm IST for New Delhi where it is expected to land at around 3 am on Sunday.
Air India sources said late on Saturday evening that the two flights to be operated by it to Libya every day till March 7 would leave from New Delhi. For instance, the next batch of flights would leave New Delhi for Tripoli at 3 am and 9 am on Sunday, sources said. An Air India Boeing 747 and an Airbus A-330 will be used for the operation every day. The IAF has also kept an IL-76, its large transport aircraft, on standby for evacuation operations, should the need arise.
The ministry of external affairs said the Scotia Prince, a chartered passenger ferry with capacity to seat 1,200 persons, was scheduled to set sail from Port Said in Egypt for Benghazi in Libya Saturday night. It was likely to reach Benghazi by Monday afternoon.
Another passenger ship with a capacity of 1,600, at present in the Mediterranean, was being chartered and will be pressed into service for evacuating Indian nationals from Libya.
The Indian Navy warship INS Jalashwa, accompanied by the INS Mysore, set sail from Mumbai on Saturday morning. The Libyan authorities have given permission to enter Libya’s territorial waters. The sailing time to Libya is about 12 days. “It remains to be seen how many people need to be evacuated by that time since Air India is operating evacuation flights,” defence sources said.
In messages posted on her Twitter account, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said the initial flights are likely to ferry approximately 200 persons from among “whoever had registered” so far. The Indian embassy was taking care to ensure seats for women, children and the elderly.
She clarified that Indian nationals living in western Libyan towns could not reach Tripoli because of the fighting in and around it. “The embassy rang 200 people [but] no one wanted to come [because] of security conditions,” Ms Rao tweeted, dispelling rumours of discrimination in who gets on board the evacuation flights.
“Our ambassador and staff worked non-stop till 6 am this morning to arrange shuttles to the airport (through) 8 or 9 (checkpoints),” Ms Rao added.
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