A non-stop operation of nearly 24 hours was carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at midnight on 3 and 4 May, when the C-17 Globemaster aircraft flew from Hindan Air Force Station, Uttar Pradesh, through the night to land early morning in Jeddah.
An official statement said, “The aircraft refuelled at Jeddah to undertake a non-stop flight from Jeddah, via war-torn Sudan and back to India.”
The IAF carried out the unique mission non-stop, and the 192 passengers, comprising women, children and elderly, who were mostly non-residential Indians (NRI), foreign national, or overseas citizens of India (OCI), were not allowed to land in Jeddah.
An Indian Air Force C130 J flight carrying 47 passengers has landed in India.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 5, 2023
With this arrival, 3862 persons have been moved out of Sudan through #OperationKaveri.
Prime Minister @narendramodi ’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our… pic.twitter.com/Ham0Ci3zdh
Unprecedented Emergency Handled
The crew also handled another unexpected problem when a passenger became unconscious during the flight. They administered 100 per cent oxygen to the person and stabilised him.
The aircraft landed in Ahmedabad late on 4 May, and later reached its home base of Hindan. “The crew thus flew through extended duty periods of nearly 24 hrs to get some of the last stranded countrymen back to India,” the official release reported.
The aircraft performed an overhead steep tactical landing approach at Sudan before making an assault approach to land the heavy jet. The release said, “During the entire duration of the ground operations, the aircraft engines were kept running in readiness of a quick exit from the airfield, in case of such a need arising.”
What happened in #OperationKaveri?https://t.co/ryZJZu9zpt pic.twitter.com/XON5xzSUpe
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 7, 2023
Operation Kaveri Completed
India launched Operation Kaveri on 15 April as Sudan was spiralling into a violent conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
With the last IAF C130J flight carrying 47 passengers landing in India, India has evacuated 3,862 people from Sudan. The External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar lauded the Indian Embassy, the IAF, and the Indian Navy for making the operation successful.
India used 17 flights and five Indian ship sorties to evacuate nationals from Port Sudan to Jeddah. The country evacuated another 86 people through the bordering nations of Sudan. The EAM also thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting Indians in Jeddah and facilitating the process.