Mumbai: Two special flights will be operated from Srinagar to Mumbai on Thursday to evacuate stranded tourists from Kashmir valley after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The IndiGo and Air India flights are expected to evacuate 183 tourists safely to Mumbai.
After the horrific terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam's Baisaran in the Kashmir Valley, tourists visiting the valley are trying to rush to their home states out of fear. In one such attempt to evacuate tourists to their home states, two flights will be operated from Srinagar to Mumbai on Thursday.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced two special flights from Srinagar to Mumbai as a part of ongoing evacuation efforts. These flights are expected to evacuate 183 passengers as IndiGo flight will have the capacity of 83 passengers and Air India will have the capacity of 100 passengers.
The flights were scheduled on the request of Maharashtra's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who asked the minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol to arrange flights to ensure that Maharashtrian tourists reach their home immediately. The minister also announced that the state government will bear the entire cost of these special flights.
"We are contacting all the tourists who are stuck there an reparing a list. All of them will be brought back to Maharashtra. If the need arises, we will arrange more special flights on Friday and bring back all the remaining tourists," Mohol said.
"The Ministry of Civil Aviation remains committed to the safe and timely return of all citizens. Air support operations are being actively managed with continuous coordination on the ground," said the ministry through a statement. The ministry had also issued a strong advisory to airlines against surge pricing and maintain regular airfare during this sensitive moment.
