In a significant development, Iran on Friday opened its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for India to facilitate the return of the stranded students. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in various Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days as part of the government's emergency evacuation programme, Operation Sindhu.
First flight expected to land in Delhi on Friday night
While the first flight is expected to land in Delhi at 11:00 PM IST on Friday, the other second and third flights are scheduled for Saturday, one in the morning and another in the evening.
It should be noted that the Iranian airspace is closed to most international flights amid ongoing missile exchanges and drone attacks between Israeli and Iranian forces. In the meantime, India has been granted an exclusive corridor to carry out the evacuation of its students from the war-torn country.
More than 4,000 Indian nationals are living in Iran and half of them are students.
India launches 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate nationals from Iran
India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up. Moreover, the Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.
"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The MEA added that the Indian embassy in Tehran has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them in safely crossing over into Armenia on Tuesday.
