The B747 plane had departed from Delhi at 12:30 PM on this day.
The Air India flight from Delhi which was sent to evacuate Indian nationals who are stuck in China landed in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on Friday evening. The 423-seater jumbo B747 aircraft was sent to the neighbouring country, where 213 people have died due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
A total of 366 people is expected to reach India from Coronavirus-infected Wuhan in China in the early hours of Saturday according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Special Secretary (Health), Sanjeeva Kumar. "366 people are to be brought from China to India tomorrow. They will be kept in isolation for 14 days at the ITBP center in Chhawla. Safdarjung Hospital has kept 50 beds for critical patients," said Kumar on Friday.
The B747 plane had departed from Delhi at 12:30 PM on this day. This flight may return to Delhi from Wuhan at 2 AM tomorrow. Another special flight is likely to depart from the T3 terminus of the Delhi airport tomorrow.
Mr. Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing director, Air India was himself present at the T3 airport during the departure of the aircraft on this day. He met all the members of the evacuation team in the special aircraft and shared best wishes to them. He also told to the media persons present at the airport that the national carrier once again comes to the rescue - this time to evacuate Indians from Wuhan, the site of the outbreak of coronavirus.
No service will take place on the plane, it was said. Whatever food is there will be kept in seat pockets. As there will be no service, there will be no interaction between the cabin crew and passengers. Masks have also been arranged for the crew and passengers, along with complete protective gear.
"At least 400 Indians will be evacuated today from Wuhan in China by Air India flight. It will take off at 12 pm today and will return by 2 AM tomorrow. Further arrangements will be done by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) AMD Health Ministry for passengers after they reach India," Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani said on Friday morning.
A team of five doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, one paramedical staff from Air India with prescribed medicine from doctors, masks, overcoats, and packed food were boarded in the aircraft. A team of engineers and security personnel are also there in this special aircraft. The entire evacuation mission is being led by Captain Amitabh Singh, Director of Operation, Air India.
Air India did such evacuation missions earlier as well from Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Kuwait, and Nepal. In August 1990, Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines evacuated more than one lakh Indians from Iraq and Kuwait via 488 flights in 59 days, created a world record for the largest aerial evacuation since 1948-49. Air India successfully accomplished “Operation Rahat”( Yemen) in 2015 as well as operation “Safe Homecoming” in 2011. Air India also participated extensively during national crises like Bhuj Earthquake, Jammu & Kashmir, Leh, Chennai, and Uttarakhand floods and during the tsunami at Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Earlier on Tuesday, the government said that the MEA had made a formal request to China for facilitating the evacuation of Indian Nationals from Wuhan.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will make the necessary arrangements for evacuation after approval of the Chinese authorities is received, it had said, adding that the Indian Embassy in Beijing was in contact with the Indian nationals.
On evacuation, these individuals will be kept in quarantine for 14 days. Necessary arrangements in this regard are being made.
The UN health agency World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared a global emergency over the deadly novel coronavirus after the number of dead rose to 213 and the confirmed cases of infection reached 9,692 in China.
The WHO said there have been 82 confirmed cases in 18 other countries, including cases of onward transmission in Germany, Japan, the United States, and Vietnam.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Representational Image")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}