Vande Bharat mission: Special flight with 116 Indians from Auckland return to Chandigarh

An Air India flight AI 1317 carrying 116 Indians from Auckland, New Zealand landed at Chandigarh International Airport on Wednesday.

The Vande Bharat Mission is the Government of India's initiative to bring back Indian nationals stranded in various parts of the world due to restrictions over air travel to contain COVID-19 spread.

A total of 1,65,375 people have returned, including 29,034 migrant workers under the Vande Bharat Mission, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on June 11.

The exercise began on May 7 and its second phase started on May 16. The third phase, which began on June 11, will continue till June 30.

( With inputs from ANI )