IAF aircraft C-17 joins operation Ganga to bring back Indian nationals from Romania

New Delhi: Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft will now be deployed into Operation Ganga to evacuate stranded Indian nationals in the war-hit country, Ukraine.

IAF officials on Tuesday (March 1) informed that the C-17 will leave for Romania at 4 am on Wednesday (March 2) to bring back Indian citizens from Ukraine. 

The aircraft C-17 which has the capacity to carry approximately 300 passengers will take off from its home base in Hindan near Delhi.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi Modi asked the IAF to join Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine, said sources.

Confirming the news Foreign Secy HV Shringla said, a C-17 IAF aircraft is expected to fly out at 4 AM on Wednesday to Romania to bring back Indians. "Over the next three days, 26 flights have been scheduled to bring back Indian citizens," he said.

Apart from Bucharest and Budapest, airports in Poland and the Slovak Republic will also be used to operate evacuation flights, he said.

Till now, only private Indian carriers have been evacuating Indians from Romania and Hungary, countries with land borders with Ukraine on the western side, as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 following the Russian military offensive.