Mangaluru: The Mangalorean-origin Captain Michael Saldanha, an Air India Express pilot has made the region proud as he undertook ‘Operation Ganga’ to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine.
Saldanha, who has over 13 years of flying experience led two evacuation flights, one with 182 students from Bucharest, Romania, and the other with 185 students from Budapest to Mumbai. He thus has the distinction of piloting the first-ever flight of Air India Express to Bucharest, Budapest. An area with hilly terrains and snow is quite a challenge for any pilot.
It may be recalled here that Saldanha had been entrusted to bring home stranded Indians in the UAE to Kozhikode in a special Air India Express flight as part of ‘Vande Bharat Mission’.
Photo Source: Facebook
