Air India today operated a special relief flight to Djerba in Tunisia, to evacuate 200 stranded Indians who have fled from Libya.
The flight AI 161, operating with a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, took off at 0830 am from New Delhi and is expected to reach Djerba at 1130 am local time. The return flight, AI 160, will leave for Delhi from Djerba at 1330 pm local time and is expected to arrive in the capital by 0100 am on August 7, 2014.
Escalating violence in Libya has compelled thousands to flee to the country's shared borders with Tunisia. Libya is in the midst of its most violent period since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gadafy. Prior to the uprising in Libya, the number of Indians in that country was estimated to be over 18,000.