India, March 3 -- India's national carrier Air India on Tuesday repatriated 149 stranded passengers from Dubai under special operations amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Flight AI916D landed safely at Delhi Airport at 10:58 am IST, marking the first evacuation flight operated by an Indian airline during the current regional disruption. The aircraft (VT-EDC) ferried passengers who had been stranded due to prevailing airspace restrictions.

Earlier, another special service, AI918D, brought back 143 cockpit and cabin crew members of Air India and Air India Express from Dubai.

The airline said its Operations Control Centre worked in coordination with the Indian government, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and Dubai authorities ...