Air India to operate 3 flights from Ukraine to bring back citizens

NEW DELHI: India's airlines Air India will operate three flights to Ukraine next week to bring back those who are willing to leave the European country, confirmed an airlines official on Saturday.

"Air India will operate three flights between India-Ukraine (Boryspil International Airport) on Feb 22, 24 and 26. Booking open through Air India booking offices, Website, Call Center and authorized Travel Agents," the company tweeted.

An official at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, said it was merely an "increase in the number of commercial flights," not evacuation plans, reported Xinhua News Agency.

MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi mentioned two days ago that there were no immediate evacuation plans.

He said that India's embassy in Ukraine continued to function normally providing the required services to Indians there.

"No immediate evacuation plans, so don't have any special flights," said Bagchi at a regular press briefing on Thursday in New Delhi.

Indian carriers are being encouraged to operate chartered flights between India and Ukraine, added the spokesperson.

Moscow, according to Ukrainian officials and NATO, has recently amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning a military offensive against its former Soviet neighbour.

Denying that it is preparing to invade, Russia has accused Western countries of undermining its security through NATO's expansion toward its borders.

Russia also issued a list of security demands to the West, including a rollback of troop deployments from some former Soviet states and guarantees that some of those states would not join NATO.

-- BERNAMA