New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS): SpiceJet on Saturday joined the Central government's 'Operation Ajay' to facilitate the repatriation of stranded Indians from Israel, an airline official said.

The airline has initiated its inaugural special evacuation flight to Tel Aviv, utilizing its Airbus A340 aircraft.

"Flight SG 9995, designated as the evacuation flight, took off from Amritsar for Tel Aviv on Saturday evening," an airline spokesperson said.

"The return journey from Tel Aviv is scheduled for departure at 11 p.m. (local time), with an arrival in Delhi the following morning," said the spokesperson.

"SpiceJet has been a steadfast contributor to the government’s evacuation and repatriation efforts, previously assisting in ‘Operation Ganga’ by evacuating over 1600 students through special flights to Budapest, Kosice, and Suceava," said the spokesperson.

In 'Operation Kaveri', SpiceJet helped bring back Indian citizens stranded in Sudan and flying them from Jeddah to Kochi.

"During the Covid pandemic, the airline played a vital role in repatriating both Indian nationals and foreign residents," said the spokesperson.