Mumbai, Mar 19: Air-India will operate three extra flights to Kuwait to bring home about 1,000 Indians even as it has laid down a contingency plan for evacuation of Indian nationals, within 12 hours of government directions, if war breaks out in Iraq. The first Boeing 747-200s left for Kuwait at 6.55 pm today while another is scheduled to depart later tonight. An airbus a310 would also depart at 3.20 am tomorrow to Kuwait and from there to Kochi, the airline public relations director Jitendra Bhargava told newsmen here today.

He said in the event of a war breaking out, the airline would operate flights out of Riyadh as the other three airports in the region - Kuwait, Damman and Bahrain - would be closed for air traffic. He said the first flight from Kuwait with nearly 400 Indians would return to Mumbai at 3.25 am tomorrow while the second at 7.25 am and the third flight would land at Kochi at 1.10 pm.
"These are no evacuation flights but extra services being operated as there has been a sudden demand from Indians wanting to come home," he said, adding normal flights would continue to be operated to the Gulf till the airports are open to civilian traffic. "The airline is closely monitoring the situation and will put in additional flights as and when needed from Kuwait or any other point in the gulf region," Bhargava said. Bureau Report