Iran Opens Airspace Exclusively For Indian Evacuation Flights, Over 1,000 Students To Reach Delhi Tonight

Iran has opened its otherwise restricted airspace exclusively to facilitate evacuation flights from India.

At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in conflict-affected Iranian cities are expected to arrive in Delhi over the next two days under the government's emergency evacuation initiative, Operation Sindhu.

Photo Credit: PTI

The first flight is scheduled to land at 11:00 PM IST tonight, followed by two more on Saturday - one in the morning and the other in the evening.

Iranian airspace remains closed to most international flights due to ongoing hostilities involving missile strikes and drone attacks between Iranian and Israeli forces.

However, India has been granted a special corridor to carry out the evacuation of its citizens.

India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu on Wednesday as tensions between Iran and Israel continued to escalate.

Iranian embassy officials in Delhi confirmed that their foreign ministry has been in close contact with the Indian mission in Tehran after reports emerged of some Indian students being injured.

"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Over 4,000 Indian nationals currently reside in Iran, with students comprising roughly half of that number.

The MEA further stated that 110 Indian students were evacuated from northern Iran and assisted in safely crossing the border into Armenia on Tuesday.

The students made the journey overland to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, under the guidance of Indian missions in both Iran and Armenia.

(With PTI inputs)