AI sends Boeing 777 to Rome to bring back 300 stranded Indians

New Delhi, March 21, 2020

National carrier Air India has sent a Boeing 777 aircraft to Rome-Fiumicino International Airport in Italy to bring back over 300 stranded Indians amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The national carrier's special ferry flight took off from New Delhi on Saturday afternoon. It is expected to bring back over 300 Indians, mostly students, who have been stranded in Rome.

As per a senior Air India official, the flight operated on a Boeing 777 extended range (ER) is expected to arrive back in India on Sunday late morning.

Last week, Air India had sent an aircraft to Milan to bring back over 230 Indians stranded there.

The airline has already suspended operations on the Delhi-Rome and the Delhi-Milan routes till March 28.

Italian officials said on Friday that a total of 4,032 people have died as a result of the virus, an increase of 627 deaths from the previous day.

IANS