Thiruvananthapuram: Air India (AI) has worked out a contingency plan to evacuate Indians in the Gulf, if such an eventuality arises in the event of a conflict in West Asia, a top Air India official said on March 18.

"Our headquarters has made some contingency plan. We should not be caught unawares if an eventuality occurred," Ratan Gosh, AI manager, Thiruvananthapuram, told a press conference.

If a situation arose, the airline would evacuate Indians charging 20 per cent less than the normal fare, Gosh said in reply to queries. He, however, said he was not in a position to disclose the details of the plan worked out by AI head quarters.

Air India had the biggest civilian evacuation record during the 1991 Kuwait war.

A senior AI official who was present, said Saudi capital Riyadh had been selected as the centre for such an operation. The passengers could reach Riyadh from other destinations using modes of surface transport.

A meeting of airline authorities, emigration and passport officials was held recently at the initiative of the state government to discuss the matter, he said.

According to a study by Kerala state Economics and Statistics Department, 11.41 lakh Keralites were working abroad, with 95 per cent of them placed in the Gulf countries.

PTI