New Delhi/Mumbai: Air India will fly two
planes to Tripoli for ten days from Saturday to evacuate a
section of about 18,000 Indians from strife-torn Libya.
"Air India had decided to fly two planes - one from Delhi
and other from Mumbai - to Tripoli to evacuate stranded
Indians on the request from the officials of External Affairs
Ministry," an Air India official said.
The flights would operate for 10 days, starting from Saturday,
as the Libyan government has given landing clearance to Air
India for ten days, the official said.
Both the flights, AI 171 from Mumbai to Tripoli and AI
161 from Delhi to Tripoli, would take off at 0115 hours
(Saturday) and reach Libyan capital Tripoli at 0700 hours
(local time).
The return flights, AI 170 from Tripoli to Mumbai and
AI 160 from Tripoli to Delhi, would depart at 1000 hours
(Libya time) and reach India at 2015 hours.
The national carrier has deployed Airbus 330, with a
capacity of 270 seats, from Delhi and Boeing 747-400, with a
seating capacity of 400, from Mumbai.
The flights would be operated as ferry flights and all
the expenses will be borne by Indian government, an Air India
spokesperson said in Mumbai.
Libyan government has given landing clearance for two Air
India planes each day from tomorrow for evacuation of Indian
nationals.
PTI
