BELAGAVI: Disha Mannur, a daughter-in-law of Belagavi, is being appreciated widely for her exemplary work in bringing Indians safely back from war-torn Ukraine.
Settled in New Delhi and working as a pilot for Air India, Disha was one of the five pilots who flew the AI-1947 flight from New Delhi to Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, on February 22 and evacuated 242 Indians.
Disha Mannur, née Gada, who hails from Bhuj in Gujarat, married Aditya Mannur, also a pilot, in 2015.
Aditya is the son of Belagavi-based Padmaja Prahlad Mannur, an active member of the Goregaon Karnataka Sangha and now residing in Mumbai.
This is not the first time that Disha has been deputed on a major operation. During the Covid pandemic, the couple flew aircraft to Hong Kong, Paris and Singapore to bring medical oxygen and to the US to bring medicines.
Disha, who is in Mumbai for a two-day aviation-related training, said, “I feel great that I was chosen for this operation. I feel good about doing something for the country, students and their worried parents.
“The other planes were landing at Bucharest and Budapest to evacuate the students. I got a chance to land the plane in Ukraine itself. There were only two planes at the airport. I was a bit scared, but the government of India had already held talks and we were sure that there would be no disturbance,” Disha said.
Disha’s mother-in-law Padmaja Mannur said, “My son and daughter-in-law stay in Delhi. When Disha told me about her operation to Ukraine, I was scared. But she said it was her duty and asked me not to worry. Now, I and Disha’s parents are receiving a lot of appreciation from people.”
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