Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter of appreciation to the Air India crew and Health Ministry officials involved in the evacuation of citizens of India and Maldives from China’s Wuhan following the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday. The letter would be handed over to the evacuation team, including Air India crew and Health Ministry officials, by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation.
Air India had conducted an emergency evacuation operation from Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. "Despite being aware of the aforementioned severe situation in the region, the Air India sent two B-747 aircraft with teams of Air India as well as teams from Ministry of Health for two consecutive days, on January 31 and February 1, returning the next day," the statement said.