Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 16: The second batch of around 80 Indian nationals, including students from Kashmir and pilgrims stranded in Iran, is expected to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi later this evening, the J&K Students Association (JKSA) said on Monday.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The flight was initially scheduled to land in the morning; however, its departure was delayed due to operational disruptions at Dubai International Airport following a drone incident.
Earlier on Sunday morning, around 70 Indian students – the majority of them from J&K- had reached New Delhi after being evacuated from Iran as part of the ongoing efforts to bring back those stranded in the region.
JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami said the latest group is travelling to India via Armenia and Dubai following coordinated efforts to facilitate the evacuation of those stranded in Iran.
According to Khuehami, the students and pilgrims first travelled from Yerevan Airport in Armenia to Dubai and are currently onboard Flydubai flight FZ441, which is scheduled to land at Terminal 3 of IGI Airport in New Delhi at around 9:18 pm.
He said the evacuation process faced an unexpected disruption earlier in the day after Dubai International Airport temporarily suspended several flight operations following a drone incident that reportedly caused a fuel tank to catch fire within the airport premises, resulting in delays and cancellations of multiple flights.
“The flight had already completed its first leg and reached Dubai, but the onward journey to New Delhi was delayed due to operational disruptions caused by the drone incident at the airport,” Khuehami said.
The flight was originally scheduled to arrive in New Delhi at 9:55 am. However, due to the temporary suspension of operations at Dubai Airport, the departure was delayed for several hours before the aircraft later received clearance to proceed to Delhi.
Khuehami said around 80 Indian passengers are onboard the flight, the majority of them students from J&K studying at various universities in Iran, along with several pilgrims.
Due to the delay in departure from Dubai, many students missed their connecting flights to Srinagar that had been scheduled earlier in the day.
The Association said it is in touch with the concerned authorities to facilitate their onward travel and ensure necessary assistance upon their arrival in Delhi.
The Association also said that more Indian students, along with two additional groups of pilgrims from Kargil, are scheduled to depart from Armenia for New Delhi on March 17, while the remaining pilgrims are expected to leave on March 18 as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safe return of all stranded individuals.
Khuehami added that the Association is in constant touch with the students, the Ministry of External Affairs and other concerned authorities to monitor the situation and provide all possible assistance until the students safely reach their homes.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
