NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday said Indian passengers from Ukraine can return via Qatar, with aviation industry experts stating that civilian flights will restart from Ukraine only when its airspace opens.
Currently 20,000 Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine.
Since the Ukrainian airspace is closed due to the Russian military offensive, it is currently not clear how they are to travel from Ukraine to Qatar to take Qatar-India flights, which are operating normally.
The authorities of the eastern European country issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) Thursday morning stating that civilian flights within Ukraine "are restricted due to potential hazard for civil aviation".
The Indian Embassy in Qatar said on Twitter, "Government of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation has allowed passengers traveling from Ukraine to travel by transit under India-Qatar bilateral air bubble arrangement."
This means that the passengers coming from Ukraine to Qatar will be able to board flights operating between Qatar and India.