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karatecatman


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India looking at Lebanon airlift
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http://www.indianexpress.com/story/8845.html


India looking at Lebanon airlift
Express News ServicePosted online: Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 0000 hrs 


 
New Delhi, July 19:With 1000 of its nationals lining up to be moved out of Lebanon in the four naval ships that entered Lebanese waters today, India is now looking at airlifting its citizens from there via Cyprus. There are some 12,000 Indian nationals in Lebanon.


‘‘If the numbers remain at 900-1000, it is quite possible that the ships would bring them directly back to India. However, if the numbers are more, then like other countries, there is a possibility that we would be doing the shuttle to Larnaca in Cyprus, from where eventually an airlift would be organised,’’ the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said.


He also said countries such as Nepal and Sri Lanka had requested India that their citizens too be allowed to get away in the ships. About 100 people or so have already come on the highway from Beirut to Damascus, and have left for India.


On Tuesday, India said it had evacuated 49 people by road to Damascus in Syria. Most were family members of Indian Embassy officials.


The spokesperson said all diplomatic steps necessary for ensuring that the naval ships were given a berth under safe conditions had been taken.


To a question about the steps taken by the government to ensure the safety of remaining 11,000 Indians in Lebanon, he said, ‘‘We have issued an advisory to the people who are there, for instance, in South Lebanon, that they should move from there, and many of them have moved. It is an evolving situation and the hostilities are taking place there. Naturally it is a dangerous place, so people who are wanting to move, we are facilitating their movement’’.


Air-India told to be ready


NEW DELHI: The government has asked Air-India to be on stand-by and ready to take-off as early as Friday to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Lebanon from Larnaca airport in Cyprus. Indian naval ships would bring these people from Lebanon to Cyprus from where they would be airlifted. A final decision on the number of aircraft and flights would be taken after a meeting on Thursday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has agreed to relax the Flight and Duty Time Limitation for these operations on the condition that any airline crew exceeding the prescribed norms would be compensated with a double rest period afterwards.


editor@expressindia.com


 


AI is getting ready on standby: 2 747-400s/4 A310s/3 777s (In the evacuation, aircraft used may be a mix).


Jinxed jumbo Sunderbans  too may be on duty and this might be its first assignment after clearance.


IA too may have 5 A320s on standby.   


 



-- Edited by karatecatman at 16:49, 2006-07-20

-- Edited by karatecatman at 16:53, 2006-07-20

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karatecatman


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This will anyway not be a repeat of the Guinness Book Of World Records world's biggest civilian airlift.

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karatecatman


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http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1748417,0008.htm


Evacuation of stranded Indians from war-ravaged Lebanon began on Thursday


July 20. 2006


Evacuation of stranded Indians from war-ravaged Lebanon began on Thursday with the first of the naval warships docking at Beirut jetty to ferry 1,000 people assembled at the port to safety in Larcana in Cyprus, a naval spokesman said.


"INS Mumbai has docked at Beirut around 1220 hrs IST and is in the process of bringing out the first batch of 1,000 Indians assembled at the port for evacuation," he said.


"Other Naval warships would follow INS Mumbai to pick up other stranded Indians," he said.


 



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karatecatman


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AI's inflight menu for the evacuation is:


Fruit juices 


Pulav rice with vegetable curry/chicken curry


Cutlet/samosa/cheese or tomato sandwich


Bowl of kheer


Fresh fruit


Fruit cake


Bar of chocolate


 


Almost the same as the Gulf War airlift. 



-- Edited by karatecatman at 17:34, 2006-07-20

-- Edited by karatecatman at 17:39, 2006-07-20

-- Edited by karatecatman at 17:53, 2006-07-20

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the_380


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Does AI always have to give so good food...yum


Anyways i am unable to understand whether ICs A320s will fly or not cos no news among engg. so far and even the A320s grounded another critical point to include


So MAY BE just AI this time



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karatecatman


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The first AI 747-400 will be landing in Chennai direct from Beirut at 1130 pm (July 21, 2006)


Will then leave for Mumbai.



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the_380


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If IC operates then the flights will be from BOM and DEL with a halt a Sharjah only while going at SHJ cabin crews will be changed

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karatecatman


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http://news.moneycontrol.com/india/news/pressnews/airindiaevacuating/airindiaoperatesspecialflightsforevacuation/market/stocks/article/229327
Air India operates special flights for evacuation
 
 2006-07-21 16:45   Source : Moneycontrol.com 
   
 Air India today began evacuating Indian nationals residing in Lebanon. 


 


A spokesman of Air India said that two Boeing 747-400s, with a seating capacity of 423 seats each, took off from Mumbai in the early hours of today for Larnaca in Cyprus, where the Indian nationals from Lebanon are being brought by ship. 


 


The two flights with about 600 passengers are expected to return to India late tonight. While the first of the two Boeing 747-400s with 350 evacuees on board will land at Chennai at around 11.30 p.m., the other flight with 254 evacuees on board is expected to arrive in Mumbai past mid night.  Even though the aircraft have been in Larnaca since this morning, the boarding could commence only after people could reach Larnaca by ship from Beirut, the spokesman added.


 


According to the spokesman, Air India will operate more special flights in the coming days, as per demand projected by the Government of India.


 


Sourced From : Perfect Relations Limited
 
 



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karatecatman


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Flight landed at 1030 pm


passengers out by 1115 pm


after medical check and screening their papers. Are being taken to a marriage hall near the airport and then sent home to their destinations in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnantaka and Kerala.


Most are blue collar. Looked very traumatised as all their belongings and net worth has been abandoned.


Most are construction labourers. 



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HAWK21M


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Sad case for the Earning members.But thats the Price of War.Unfortunately it was not theirs.


regds


MEL



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himmat01


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Did AI reconfigure the B747-400s into full Y class seating for the evacuation? If not, then who gets to sit in the F and J class?

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karatecatman


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Unlikely.


News reports say each 747-400 had 423 seats.


Seating configuration in AI 747-400 is: 12F 22J 385Y = 419.



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the_380


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During evacution there are some people who agree to pay money and fly generally such people get J or F class

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the_380


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Generally during evacuations people who prefer to pay they are offered J or F class

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karatecatman


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Pay?


 



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karatecatman


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Air-India to fly Indians home from Lebanon---phase 2
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Air-India to fly Indians home from Lebanon


Press Trust of India


Mumbai, July 23, 2006
 
   
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1750854,00080004.htm   
 
Flag carrier Air-India is gearing up to fly Indians stranded in strife-torn Lebanon back home, a move reminiscent of its operation to evacuate citizens from Kuwait after Iraq invaded that country in 1991.


"This will not affect the normal schedule of the carrier. There are around 12,000 Indians affected by the sudden outburst of war. But, not all of them want to return immediately. We have made arrangements for their safe return to the motherland," AI spokesperson J Bhargav said.


In 1991, Air-India had rescued thousands of Indians from the Gulf country, pushing the airline deeper into red.


The national carrier will fly two aircraft between Cyprus and India every alternate day.


Though this would not affect the commercial operations of the airline and the Government had assured necessary compensation for the operations, the national carrier, which came out of red less than five years ago, will bear added burden due to this national obligation.


"The Government assured compensation... But it's just the operational expenditure. There would not be any profit out of this," A-I sources said.


The journey from Cyprus, where some 12,000 Indians were shifted by the Indian Navy, involves air travel of around six hours.
 
 
 



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the_380


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RE: India looking at Lebanon airlift
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karatecatman wrote:

Pay?  
Yes if u wish u can pay some amount and u will get a ticket earlier than others and such people are offered J or F class

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karatecatman


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In an evacuation?

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the_380


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Yes if ur willing to pay u will be evacuated earlier as a priority otherwise u ll have to wait till ur no. comes in and its such people who get better seats though food and other services are same for all.


Besides u dont have to pay something like the actual price of the ticket but maybe something more less than that



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karatecatman


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Evacuation is evacuation. There is nothing like priority.


Where did you pick this one up from?


This is not the Pan Am Flt 129 in Karachi where the crew ditched the passengers and ran away.


 


 



-- Edited by karatecatman at 00:29, 2006-07-27

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