Operation Safe Homecoming

Operation Safe Homecoming was an operation launched by Indian government to evacuate its nationals, who were fleeing from the Libyan Civil War. It was a combination of an air and sea-bridge which was to be conducted by the Indian Navy and Air India. The last time the Indian government had launched such an evacuation was during the 2006 Lebanon War when the Indian Navy and Air India were used under Operation Sukoon. Prior to this, India had evacuated 111,711 of its nationals after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The Libyan civil war began as a series of protests and confrontations occurring in the North African state of Libya against the government and its leader Muammar Gaddafi. The social unrest began on 15 February 2011 and has since become a civil war that continued until 23 October 2011. Inspiration for the unrest is attributed to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, connecting it with the wider Arab Spring. According to Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent, who entered Libya and had reached the city of Tobruk on 22 February, "the protest movement is no longer a protest movement, it's a war. It's open revolt." On 22 February, The Economist described the events as an "uprising that is trying to reclaim Libya from the world's longest-ruling ." Gaddafi blamed the uprising on al-Qaeda and "drugged kids".

There were 18,000 Indian nationals working in Libya who were trapped because of the unrest. Evacuation appeared to be difficult due to "chaos" at the central airport in Tripoli as well as a "destroyed" runway at Benina International Airport and the temporary closure of all Libyan ports. Consequently, many international flights, including those of British Airways, were cancelled, although others appeared to operate. Further reports indicate that Libyan harbours in many cities were closed.

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Wikipedia