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Flight carrying 290 Indian students from Iran lands in Delhi, two more expected later today
Chants of 'Bharat mata ki jai' and 'Hindustan zindabad' rang out at Delhi Airport as soon as a special evacuation flight touched down in Indian territory.
A special evacuation flight carrying 290 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in Delhi late Friday night, marking the first phase of India’s Operation Sindhu. Two more chartered flights, including one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, are expected to land later on Saturday.
The first flight is expected to land at 4:30 PM, followed by the second flight at 11:30 PM. Both flights will arrive at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
In a key gesture to support India’s evacuation efforts, Iran opened its airspace despite ongoing regional hostilities. “Iran’s airspace is currently closed, but we’re facilitating limited access for the safe evacuation of Indian nationals,” said Mohammad Javad Hosseini, deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy in Delhi.
He added that additional flights may be planned in the coming days and confirmed close coordination with the Indian government.
Evacuees recall uncertainty, horror in Iran
Chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and 'Hindustan Zindabad' rang out at Delhi Airport as soon as a special evacuation flight touched down in Indian territory.
Students arriving in Delhi recounted harrowing days of uncertainty and praised Indian authorities for swift action. “The Indian government has done a lot for us. I can't express how peaceful you feel when you reach your own country,” news agency PTI quoted one evacuee as she arrived from Mashhad.
Sehrish Rafique, an MBBS student at Iran University of Medical Sciences, told ANI, “The situation in Iran was quite devastating. At first, we didn't expect that it would escalate so much. All Kashmiris are really thankful to the Indian government.”
Tazkiya Fatima, a resident of Noida, said, “There is a situation of war over there. We were not sure how we would make it out…But the Government of India made the whole process very smooth,” reported ANI.
The news agency talked to another evacuee, Mir Mohammad Musharraf, who said, “I am from Pulwama, Kashmir. Operation Sindhu is amazing and really helpful. The services were excellent. We contacted our embassy. We were stuck in Tehran, unaware of what to do. Our landlords also left and were left behind. It was only our embassy that helped us reach here.”
Several evacuees also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating their safe return.
According to the ministry of external affairs, “Out of the 290 Indians who landed today, 190 are from Jammu and Kashmir." The MEA further expressed happiness that Iran opened its airspace to facilitate this operation.
"It reflects the strong ties between India and Iran,” said Arun Kumar Chatterjee, secretary (consular, passport and visa), MEA.
Approx. 10,000 Indians living in Iran
As the Israel-Iran war enters its second week, India has stepped up efforts to bring home its citizens from the region. Around 10,000 Indians—primarily students—were residing in Iran when the hostilities escalated. Most had been relocated from Tehran to safer cities like Qom and Mashhad before being evacuated.
Indian authorities have not issued a formal evacuation advisory but have urged citizens in both Iran and Israel to remain vigilant and restrict movement. “We are arranging for the safe passage of Indians who want to leave via air or via road through third countries, or directly from Iran,” Hosseini reiterated.
