Operation Ajay: SpiceJet plane arrives in Delhi with 286 passengers from Israel

New Delhi: A SpiceJet flight with 286 passengers, including 18 Nepalese nationals, from Tel Aviv landed at the Delhi airport on Tuesday.

This is the fifth flight to be operated under the government's Operation Ajay to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to come back from Israel where an intense conflict is going on with the militant group Hamas.

In a post on social media platform X, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that 286 passengers, including 18 Nepalese nationals, arrived on board the fifth flight under Operation Ajay.

#OperationAjay

286 passengers including 18 Nepalese nationals arrive onboard 5th flight in New Delhi.

Warmly received by MoS @Dept_of_AHD & @MIB_India @Murugan_MoS at the airport. pic.twitter.com/gHLS2HwjGZ

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) October 17, 2023

He also shared pictures of the passengers being welcomed at the airport by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan.

According to the Kerala government, there were 22 people from the state among the passengers who arrived in the flight.

The SpiceJet aircraft A340 had faced a technical issue after landing at Tel Aviv on Sunday and the plane was taken to Jordan to rectify the problem.

After fixing the issue, the plane returned with people from Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

The aircraft was originally scheduled to return to the national capital on Monday morning.