The 192 Indians who were rescued by the IAF from the war-torn Sudan have returned

A C-17 Globemaster aircraft from the Indian Air Force took off on May 3 from Hindan Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh and flew through the night until arriving in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of May 4. The aero plane refueled in Jeddah before making a nonstop trip from Jeddah to India via the war-torn Sudan.

To avoid a situation where fuel was unavailable and fueling took longer in Sudan, the aeroplane hauled extra fuel from Jeddah.

With 192 passengers on board, predominantly women, children, and senior citizens, the mission was unique. The travellers were either OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India), NRIs, or foreign nationals. They were denied permission to land in Jeddah, so they had to take a nonstop trip straight to India.

The aircraft made an overhead, steep tactical landing in Sudan before making an attack approach to land the big jet. The aircraft engines were maintained running during the ground operations in case a rapid escape from the airstrip was required.

When one of the passengers passed out during the trip, the crew was forced to deal with an unanticipated situation once more. The crew addressed this crisis quickly and expertly by giving the patient 100% oxygen to stabilise him or her.

On May 4, the plane touched down in Ahmedabad at the end of the day before making a nighttime landing at its base in Hindan.

Thus, the crew flew through prolonged duty shifts that lasted almost 24 hours to return some of the final compatriots to India.