VandeBharatMission 17.22 lakh Indians repatriated so far under Vande Bharat Mission: MEA
New Delhi/IBNS: About 17.22 lakh Indians have been repatriated through different modes of the Vande Bharat Mission, the Ministery of External Affairs said on Thursday.
These include Air India and Air India Express flights, private and foreign carriers, chartered flights, naval ships and land border crossings.
"Under Phase 7 of VBM, operational since 1 October 2020, 873 international flights have been scheduled from 25 countries to be operated during the course of October 2020," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a virtual media briefing.
These include flights from among the 14 countries with which India has a bilateral ‘air bubble’ arrangement in place.
The air bubble arrangement has been working satisfactorily adding to the capacity.
These flights will reach 24 airports across India, repatriating an estimated 1.7 lakh people. As on 7 October, 210 flights have already been operated from 18 countries.
"We continue to assess demand for repatriation from other countries and project the requirements to Air India so that more flights can be scheduled in the coming days," he said.
