‘Vande Bharat mission will continue’, said Civil Aviation Ministry, a day after an Air India Express flight with 190 people on board overshot ‘runway 10’ at the Kozhikode airport, killing at least 19 passengers.
“Vande Bharat Mission flights have no problem, the mission will continue”, news agency ANI tweeted the aviation ministry as saying.
Air India Express flight that crashlanded at Kozhikode Airport yesterday in which 18 people lost their lives, was part of the Vande Bharat Mission.
After COVID-19, international passenger flights in India have been suspended since mid-March.
Since May 6th, the Vande Bharat Mission has been operating special international charter flights to help stranded people reach their home.
Almost 9.5 Lakh Indians stranded abroad have so far returned under the Vande Bharat Mission. India is currently in the fifth phase of the mission.
Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of yesterday’s disaster are ongoing, with top airline officials and the DGCA rushing to Kozhikode. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, also arrived at the scene of the incident to take stock of the situation and the implementation of the relief measures.
“Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated aircraft have been retrieved.
AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) is conducting investigations,” Puri tweeted.
The minister also announced Rs 10 lakh interim relief for each of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
The condition of 16 passengers among 149 those admitted to various hospitals, is said to be critical.
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