IAF planes ready for gulf evacuation; special flypast planned for May 3

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 1

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In case an evacuation is ordered from countries around the Persian Gulf, the Indian Air Force has readied some 30-odd planes and the Navy is ready with warships that can sail to different ports and pick up any stranded Indians.

This was announced at a rare joint press conference of the three services on Friday.

The IAF planes can bring in up to 20,000 persons per day as the planes and pilots are capable of doing multiple sorties in a day.

One way flying distance to the countries around the Persian Gulf is around 2 hours, in case plane flies over Pakistan.

Similarly warships of the Indian Navy are ready to sail. Each ship can carry some 500 to 800 people.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat announced a unique flypast from Srinagar to Trivandrum and another one starting from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kutch in Gujarat.

The flypast will include both transport and fighter aircraft. During the flypast, helicopters will also shower flower petals at some places like hospitals.

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Army Chief General MM Naravane were present at the press conference.

The forces said they want to thank all COVID-19 warriors—Doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police, home guards, delivery boys and the media—which have been reaching out with the message of government on how to carry on with lives in difficult times.

The Army will conduct mounted band displays along some of the COVID-19 hospitals in almost every district of the country. The armed forces will also lay wreathes at the police memorial on May 3 in support of the police forces.

The Navy will have its warships deployed in formations in coastal areas in the evening on May 3. Navy warships would also be lit up and their choppers would be used for showering petals on hospitals.