COVID-19: Two Air India Express flights from UAE carrying 363 Indian nationals take off

Two special flights from the UAE carrying a total of 363 Indian nationals, including nine infants, left for Kerala on Thursday, as India began its biggest ever repatriation exercise to bring back its citizens stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.

The first Air India Express flight IX 452 carrying 177 passengers and four infants from Abu Dhabi to Kochi took off at 5.07 pm. Few minutes later, the Dubai-Kozhikode flight IX 344 with 177 passengers and five infants took off at 5.46 pm as part of the repatriation exercise named 'Vande Bharat Mission.'

The two flights carried a total of 363 passengers, including nine infants, an airline spokesman said in Kochi.

"#VandeBharatMission begins! The first flight with 177 passengers takes off from Abu Dhabi to Kochi. #TeamIndia will continue with its tireless efforts to bring Indians home," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava tweeted.

Passengers slected by the Indian missions started arriving at