17.22 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under 'Vande Bharat' mission: MEA

New Delhi: As many as 17.22 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the ''Vande Bharat'' evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that under the phase seven of the mission, operational since October 1, 873 international flights have been scheduled from 25 countries to be operated during the course of October 2020.

These include flights from among the 14 countries with which India has a bilateral 'air bubble' arrangement in place, he said at an online media briefing.

The air bubble arrangement has been working satisfactorily adding to the capacity, he added.

Srivastava said as on October 7, 17.22 lakh Indians have been repatriated through different modes of the Vande Bharat Mission.

The flights in phase seven include Air India and Air India Express flights, private and foreign carriers, chartered flights, naval ships and land border crossings, he said.

These flights will reach 24 airports across India, repatriating an estimated 1.7 lakh people. As on 7 October, 210 flights have already been operated from 18 countries, Srivastava said.

"We continue to assess demand for repatriation from other countries and project the requirements to Air India so that more flights can be scheduled in the coming days," he said.