Phase one of Vande Bharat Mission ended on May 14

The Vande Bharat Mission was started on May 7 by the central government of India to bring stranded Indians back to the country amid the coronavirus lockdown. It also allows foreigners and valid visa holders stranded in India to book tickets on these flights.

Under the phase one of the mission that started on May 7 and ended on May 14, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express brought back 149 people from Manila and 163 citizens stranded in Washington, on May 14. It has been one of India's biggest air evacuation missions.

All passengers went through sanitization after arriving on the main passenger terminal of the airport. Social distancing was also enforced, starting from thee aerobridge to across the terminal.

The Union Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted,” Mission Vande Bharat continues to fly high with flights that spread hope & happiness. 2171 Indians have returned onboard 11 flights from Bahrain, Newark, Manila, Dubai, Muscat, Singapore, Dhaka, Dammam & Kuala Lumpur till midnight 12th May 2020."

Aviation Minister shares his plan of phase two

According to the Aviation Minister, in the phase two of the Vande Bharat Mission, around 30,000 Indians would return home from 31 countries, onboard 149 flights between May 16 and May 22. He also added that this would be twice the number of citizens brought back in the phase one.

The Minister further added that the phase two would start from Saturday, May 16 and end on May 22. A few other countries will be added to the Vande Bharat Mission in this phase. It will include flights from Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Ukraine