Iranian airline offers to repatriate all stranded Indians due to COVID-19 in letter to PM

Amidst Coronavirus outbreak and India's efforts to repatriate its nationals from severely-affected countries, Iran-based airliner Mahan Air on Sunday offered to bring all Indians stranded in Iran back to ir homeland without "any commercial interest as a humanitarian initiative". In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, airline's Managing Director Hamid Arabnejad said around 7,000 Indians have been stranded across various locations in Iran whom he wished to repatriate.

"In this regard, I, on behalf of Mahan Air, hereby, offer to safely repatriate all India nationals stranded in Iran back to ir country without any commercial interest as a humanitarian initiative for our Indian brethren," Arabnejad said in letter dated March 15. He added that re are many stranded Indians who are eir students or pilgrims and do t have sufficient means to make alternative arrangements.

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"Our airline will deploy appropriate aircraft to ferry stranded Indians and land at suitable designated international airports in India," Mahan Air assured in letter furr urging government of India to grant required permissions.  letter to PM Modi stated that India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended operations of Iranian carriers to India due to health and safety reasons and airline duly abides by rms but ted that suspension of operations has Indians stranded in Iran.

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Third batch of Indians evacuated

Mahan Air on Sunday flew as many as 234 Indians who were among people stranded in Iran to India, informed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.  flight carrying Indians onboard landed in Mumbai. Among 234 people, 131 of m are students and rest are pilgrims. In wee hours of Sunday, Jaishankar took to Twitter to thank  Iranian authorities for facilitating evacuations of stranded Indians.

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Worst-hit in Middle East

Iran is among worst affected country from Coronavirus with nearly 12,700 cases and 611 deaths so far. In past few days, India has carried out several evacuations of Indians nationals across world. first batch consisting of 58 nationals was brought back in a C17 military transport aircraft on Tuesday followed by ar evacuation of 44 individuals on Friday.

COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by WHO and a large number of Indian stranded in Corona-affected countries like Italy, Iran are being evacuated by Government.

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(AP Photo)