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The Ministry of External Affairs is in discussion with civil aviation authorities and various airlines on increasing the number of flights between India and Ukraine for speedy evacuation of Indian nationals from the country facing a war-like situation, sources have said.
The Indian embassy in Kyiv, in a statement on Wednesday, asked Indian students in Ukraine not to panic, but book the earliest available and convenient flights to travel to India.
“At present, Ukrainian International Airlines, Air Arabia, Fly Dubai, Qatar Airways, etc, are operating flights. To meet the additional demand, more flights are being planned in the near future, including from Ukrainian International Airlines, Air India, etc,” the statement said. Details on the same would be shared by the embassy as and when confirmed, it added. The statement was tweeted by the embassy.
The situation in Ukraine continues to be tense with no let-up in Russia’s military buildup at the Ukrainian border, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg reportedly said on Wednesday, before a meeting of defence ministers of NATO countries.
Although Moscow said it has no intention of invading Ukraine, the Western powers are apprehensive that with more than 1,00,000 Russian troops deployed around Ukraine, an attack could not be ruled out.
The Indian Embassy in Kyiv has been receiving several appeals about non-availability of flights from Ukraine to India.
“Discussions are underway with civil aviation authorities and various airlines on how to increase the number of flights between India and Ukraine,” a source tracking the matter told BusinessLine.
Control rooms in the Embassy as well as in the MEA are being set up to respond to queries of Indian nationals in Ukraine and their families in India, the source added.
‘We are aware that many Indian students are currently in Ukraine, and their families are anxious about their wards, particularly about getting flights to India,” the source said, adding that the matter was being treated urgently on priority.
The Indian embassy in Kyiv issued an advisory on February 15 for Indian nationals in Ukraine, especially students whose work was non-essential, asking them to leave the country temporarily. The embassy is continuing to monitor developments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the build-up of troops on the ground that the growing closeness of Ukraine with Western powers, and an expansion of the NATO posed a security threat to his country.
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