Vande Bharat Mission: Special flight with 149 Indians departs from Jeddah
May 14, 2020
Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], May 14 : An Air India special flight with 149 stranded Indians departed from Jeddah to Kerala's Kochi on Thursday as part of Vande Bharat Mission.
The 149 passengers include 37 pregnant women, 31 people with medical emergencies, 40 laid-off workers and 36 people who were on visit visas.
Indian consulate in Jeddah thanked the Saudi Government and authorities for facilitating the return of Indian nationals back home.
"AI-960 carrying 149 stranded Indians onboard departed today at 1400 hrs from Jeddah to Kochi as part of VandeBharathMission. We thank Saudi Govt and all authorities for facilitating return of Indian nationals back home," the consulate said in a tweet.
"37 pregnant women, 31 medical emergencies, 40 laid-off workers and 36 persons on visit visa were among 149 passengers on board the AI Flight. Indian nationals also expressed their gratitude to GoI and the Saudi authorities," it added.
The first repatriation flight from Jeddah took off for Kerala on Wednesday and brought back 151 Indians.
India began phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7 under Vande Bharat Mission amid extended lockdown in the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
