Mumbai: With hours left for the expiry of US ultimatum to Iraq, Air India is rushing four flights to Kuwait to bring home over 1,000 Indians and one plane left for Kuwait City this evening.

"Over 1,250 Indians have moved applications requesting urgent evacuation from Kuwait and they have already assembled at Kuwait airport," Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain said in Delhi.

The first Boeing 747-200 left for Kuwait at 18:55 hours on March 19 while another was scheduled to depart later on March 19 night. An Airbus A310 would depart at 03:20 hours and the fourth at 07:00 hours on March 20 to Kuwait and from there to Kochi.

Air India public relations director Jitendra Bhargava told reporters in Mumbai that in the event of a war breaking out, the airline would operate flights out of Riyadh as the other three airports in the region - Kuwait, Damman and Bahrain - would be closed for air traffic.

He said the first flight from Kuwait with nearly 400 Indians would return to Mumbai at 03:25 hours on March 20 while the second would return at 07:25 hours and the third flight would land at Kochi at 13:10 hours.

"These are no evacuation flights but extra services being operated as there has been a sudden demand from Indians wanting to come home," he said, adding normal flights would continue to be operated to the Gulf till the airports are open to civilian traffic.

"The airline is closely monitoring the situation and will put in additional flights as and when needed from Kuwait or any other point in the Gulf region," Bhargava added.

PTI