‘Operation Ganga’: Kudla pilot brings back Indian citizens from war-torn Ukraine

Mangaluru: Kudla-born Captain Michael Saldanha once again took off from India for one of the toughest missions.

With 13 plus years of flying experience, he was tasked with bringing home stranded Indian citizens stuck in war-torn Ukraine.

Michael, pilot of an Air India Express flight commanded two evacuation flights, one from Bucharest, Romania with 182 students and the other flight carrying 185 students evacuated from Budapest to Mumbai.

Bucharest, Budapest is known for thick snow and hilly terrain, and piloting aircraft under such conditions is a challenge.

This was Air India Express’s first-ever flight to Bucharest, Budapest

It may be recalled that Saldanha was tasked with bringing home stranded Indians in the UAE to Kozhikode in a special Air India Express flight as part of the Centre’s massive repatriation exercise ‘Vande Bharat Mission’.