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{{more citations needed|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox operational plan
| name = Airlift of Indians from Kuwait
| partof = [[Invasion of Kuwait]]
| image = File:Kuwait_pol_06.jpg
| caption = Map of Kuwait
| scope =
| type = [[Emergency evacuation]]
| location = Kuwait
| coordinates =
| map_type =
| latitude =
| longitude =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| planned =
| planned_by = [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]]
| objective = Humanitarian relief
| date = {{Start date|1990|08|13|df=y}} - {{Start date|1990|10|20|df=y}}
| target =
| executed_by = [[Air India]], [[Indian Airlines]], [[Indian Air Force]]
| outcome = More than 170,000 Indian citizens evacuated.
| casualties =
| fatalities =
| injuries =
}}
The '''1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait''' was carried out from August 13, 1990 to October 20, 1990 after the [[Invasion of Kuwait|Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]]. [[Air India]] helped evacuate 170,000 people by civil airline. The operation was carried out before the [[Persian Gulf War]] in 1990 to evacuate Indian expatriates from [[Kuwait]]. [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Foreign Minister]] [[Inder Kumar Gujral|I.K. Gujral]] was instrumental in getting [[Iraq]] to co-operate on these efforts.<ref name="scoll">{{cite web | author=Rohan Venkataramakrishnan | title= The Berlin airlift was remarkable, but the largest civilian evacuation in history is by India| website=Scroll.in | url=http://scroll.in/article/668866/the-berlin-airlift-during-ww-ii-was-remarkable-but-the-largest-civilian-airlift-was-by-india | access-date=2015-04-11}}</ref> Following this operation [[Air India]], the flag carrier Indian airline entered the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] for the most people evacuated by a civil airliner.<ref>1995 Guinness Book or World Records, pg. 585</ref><ref name="scoll"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/15179/heres-need-know-largest-air-evacuation-history-india/ |title=Did You Know That The Largest Air Evacuation In History Was Done By India? |publisher=The Better India |access-date=2015-12-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Airlift-Akshay-Kumars-next-a-thriller-of-the-biggest-human-evacuation/articleshow/40364005.cms |title=Airlift: Akshay Kumar's next a thriller of the biggest human evacuation |work=The Times of India |access-date=2015-12-19}}</ref> [[Mathunny Mathews]], [[Harbajan Singh Vedi]], Abey Varicad, V.K. Warrier, Ali Hussain and few others based in Kuwait helped immensely in the evacuation efforts of fellow Indians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=02_02_2016_013_058_002&type=P&artUrl=REAL-STORY-KUWAIT-AIRLIFT-1990-02022016013058&eid=31806 |title=Real Story: Kuwait Airlift,1990 |work=The Times of India |access-date=2017-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629023939/http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=02_02_2016_013_058_002&type=P&artUrl=REAL-STORY-KUWAIT-AIRLIFT-1990-02022016013058&eid=31806 |archive-date=2017-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Background==
{{Main|Invasion of Kuwait}}
The invasion of [[Kuwait]] started on August 2, 1990, and within two days of combat, most of the [[Military of Kuwait|Kuwaiti armed forces]] were either overrun by the [[Iraqi Republican Guard]] or fell back to [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[Bahrain]]. The Emirate of Kuwait was annexed, and [[Saddam Hussein]] announced a few days later that it was [[Kuwait Governorate|the 19th province of Iraq]]. More than 170,000 Indians were stranded on Kuwaiti soil.

==Response==
Initial efforts were made by the [[government of India]] to evacuate nationals by military aircraft. However, due to difficulties in air-space clearances the switch was made to civilian aircraft. [[India]] had initially requested permission to evacuate its citizens by [[Air India]] but the request was not approved by the [[United Nations|UN]] and the government of Kuwait in exile. India was required to use planes supplied to them under the UN banner. Complications arose due to the significantly higher number of nationals requiring evacuation, a lack of travel documents and poor communications. The airlift was completed before the start of [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Storm]]. About 170,000 people were evacuated (airlifted) from [[Amman|Amman, Jordan]], to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] – a distance of 4,117 km (2558 mi) – by Air India, operating 488 flights in association with [[Indian Airlines]], from August 18, 1990 to October 20, 1990 – lasting 63 days.

Buses were also used after winning [[Baghdad]]'s approval to ferry Indians through [[Basra]], [[Baghdad]] and to [[Amman]] in [[Jordan]].

==Popular culture==
The event was the basis for the 2016 film ''[[Airlift (film)|Airlift]]'' starring [[Akshay Kumar]], who played a character inspired by the works of [[Mathunny Mathews]] and [[Harbajan Singh Vedi]].

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Military of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuwait, 1990 airlift of Indians}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=1990 in India, Evacuations of Indians, Airlifts, Gulf War, India–Kuwait relations, Air India, 1990 in aviation
|description=
}}

[[Category:1990 in India]]
[[Category:Evacuations of Indians]]
[[Category:Airlifts]]
[[Category:Gulf War]]
[[Category:India–Kuwait relations]]
[[Category:Air India]]
[[Category:1990 in aviation]]

1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait - Revision history

MetaBOT at 15:31, 8 July 2023