Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Mar 9: Mangalurean pilot, Capt Michael Saldanha, has made the city proud by being a part of the rescue mission, 'Operation Ganga’ undertaken to safely bring back Indian citizens stuck in the war-torn Ukraine.
Michael was the pilot of an Air India Express flight that brought back 182 students from Bucharest, Romania, to Mumbai. He also was the pilot of a flight between Kuwait and Mumbai that brought back 185 students from Budapest.
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He said that the Air India Express flight visited Bucharest, Budapest, for the first time. The country is known for thick snow and hilly terrain. Piloting aircrafts under such conditions is a challenge. However, a sense of contentment was there for safely bringing back the students, Michael added.
Michael was also part of operation 'Vande Bharat’ under which Indians from Dubai were brought back from Dubai on May 7, 2020.