NEW DELHI: An Air India flight took off from Kabul for Delhi on Sunday evening (6.06 pm local time Kabul) with 129 stranded Indians on board. The Airbus A320 had flown from Delhi to Kabul with 40 passengers on Sunday afternoon and is now bringing back people home to safety. AI has planned another flight on Monday morning which will operate subject to the situation in Kabul.
Sunday flight to Delhi was sold.out with all 162 seats booked, say sources. However only 129 passengers managed to reach Kabul airport to board the same. Now Monday's flight -- if it operates -- will try to bring back as.many as possible depending on how many manage to reach the airport.
"It all depends on the situation in Kabul as determined by the government. Under India-Afghanistan air bubble, AI has a daily flight on Delhi-Kabul-Delhi sector. Now everything depends on the situation there," said sources. AI is the only schedule commercial airline that is currently flying to Afghanistan.
People in Kabul are finding it difficult to reach the airport due to roadblocks being set up by the Taliban. "We really hope and pray our person flies back on Monday," said the relative of an Indian currently in Kabul on work.
The Airbus A320 (VT-EXV) took off from Delhi at 12.43 pm on Sunday and landed there two hours later at 1.45 pm (Kabul time). The aircraft reportedly had to hover for some time before getting clearance to land in Kabul. An Emirates flight was also "holding" at 28,000 feet awaiting clearance to land in Kabul at the same time. "There was an aircraft disabled on the runway, thus the ATC delay," said sources.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association, union of AI pilots, had last Tuesday volunteered to fly to Afghanistan to evacuate Indians stranded there. “(we) are ready to go beyond the call of duty to evacuate (fellow) Indians.. extend complete support and cooperation to evacuate (Indians) from Afghanistan," ICPA had written to aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia last Tuesday.
"There was real danger in operating to Kabul on Sunday under the current circumstances. But AI has flown to war zones and dangerous places in the past also to evacuate Indians. Sunday's flight was special, as that was our way of saying Jai Hind on Independence Day -- by risking our lives for our compatriots," said a senior pilot.
