89).25 Years Ago India Mounted World's Largest Air Evacuation In Kuwait, Airlift Is Its Story

it is a heroic story of a man Ranjit Katyal , a wealthy and powerful Indian businessman who had always seen himself as a Kuwaiti and not Indian, but who with the help of the Indian government, safely evacuated these 170,000 Indians back to their country.
People today might crib and complain about Air India and their frequent delays, but very few know that when thousands of Indians were stuck in Kuwait during the Gulf war, the Indian government executed the world’s largest air evacuation mission ever. This operation continued for almost sixty days and managed to AIRLIFT (Yes, that's how the film got its name) over 1,70,000 Indians.
Here is a proper timeline of events that unfolded and led to a successful 'operation homecoming mission'
1. Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1990 was in debt of the US because of the long-drawn Iran conflict that it had undertaken.

2. Iraq wanted Kuwait to reduce oil production, to create a scarcity of oil leading to increasing oil prices, thereby helping Iraq raise more money. But Kuwait refused, leaving Iraq furious. On August 2nd 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait (part of the first Gulf War).

Gulfnews

3. The Iraqi army took over the city within a few hours. The Kuwaiti royal family managed to escape to Saudi Arabia, leaving the state rudderless. The city was looted and the general population subjugated and made to suffer great tragedies in the hands of the Iraqi army.

4. Kuwait was home to almost 170,000 Indians, all of who had suddenly become bankrupt and homeless.

Stevestarr5. It was in 1990 that the Indian government airlifted over 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait, using 488 flights in just 59 days.

Qz6. After this mission was successful, Air India entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being a civil airline that helped evacuate the maximum number of people ever!

IndianexpressBeing the largest and most successful evacuation ever attempted by any country in the world.