Operation Ajay: SpiceJet today (October 14) joined the Central government's 'Operation Ajay' to facilitate the repatriation of stranded Indians from Israel, an airline official said. The airline has initiated its inaugural special evacuation flight to Tel Aviv, utilizing its Airbus A340 aircraft.
"Flight SG 9995, designated as the evacuation flight, took off from Amritsar for Tel Aviv on Saturday evening," an airline spokesperson said.
"The return journey from Tel Aviv is scheduled for departure at 11:00 pm (local time), with an arrival in Delhi the following morning," said the spokesperson.
"SpiceJet has been a steadfast contributor to the government’s evacuation and repatriation efforts, previously assisting in ‘Operation Ganga’ by evacuating over 1600 students through special flights to Budapest, Kosice, and Suceava," said the spokesperson.
In 'Operation Kaveri', SpiceJet helped bring back Indian citizens stranded in Sudan and flying them from Jeddah to Kochi.
"During the Covid pandemic, the airline played a vital role in repatriating both Indian nationals and foreign residents," said the spokesperson.
Flight details for Operation Ajay:
Air India and SpiceJet will operate one flight each to Tel Aviv today to bring back Indians amid escalating tensions due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to officials. These chartered flights will be operated under Operation Ajay, which the government has launched to facilitate the return of those who wish to come back from Israel.
The officials said that Air India will be operating a flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv while SpiceJet will operate a flight from Amritsar to Tel Aviv. Both flights are expected to return and land at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning, they added.
One of the officials said Air India is scheduled to operate another flight to Tel Aviv on Sunday. On Saturday morning, an Air India flight AI 140 returned to the national capital with 235 Indians from Israel.
On Friday morning, more than 200 people had come from Tel Aviv in an Air India flight, which was also the first under Operation Ajay. Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh on Saturday received the Indians who came from Israel at the airport.
"Received the second batch of Indians from Israel. Heartening to note that they are very appreciative of GoI's swift response #OperationAjay and @MEAIndia for smooth coordination," he said in a post on social media platform X.
Know more about Operation Ajay:
"Operation Ajay" was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back around 18,000 Indians in Israel who were amidst the war between Hamas and Israel. Registration of Indians began on Thursday (October 12).
The Indian embassy in Israel is providing assistance to Indian companies and has set up a helpline for Indian citizens in need of assistance.
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