Monday, July 24 2006 17:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Two Boeing 747-400s of Air India today (July 24, 2006) left from Mumbai for the Cypriot capital of Larnaca to bring back hundreds of Indian nationals returning from war-hit Lebanon.

The two aircraft would carry full-load of a total of 840 passengers and return to Mumbai this evening one of them via Delhi and another via Chennai, an AI spokesman told sources from Mumbai.

The Indians would be shipped from Lebanon to Larnaca by the Indian Navy as part of one of the largest civilian evacuation operations overseas, codenamed 'Operation Suqoon'.

The spokesman said the timing of the return of the flights would depend on the arrival of the Indians from Lebanon in Larnaca.

The first batch of 602 people were airlifted on Saturday by two Air India flights to Mumbai and Chennai. While 341 landed in Chennai, 261 flew to Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Indian warships, INS Mumbai and INS Brahmaputra, which were moved to the Mediterranean Sea off the Lebanese coast, have entered Beirut harbour to evacuate the second batch of stranded Indians.