Dhaka: Air India Express has become the first Indian airline to operate an international flight with a fully vaccinated crew. The airline flew from Delhi to Dubai on June 18 with a crew fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Captains DR Gupta and Alok Kumar Nayak led the flight with cabin crew members Venkat Kella, Praveen Chandra, Pravin Chougle, and Manisha Kamble. The same crew operated the return flight on the Dubai-Jaipur-Delhi route.

“We have vaccinated almost all eligible crew members and frontline staff not only to ensure their safety and health but also to make our passengers feel safe and reassured as they fly with us,” the airline said in a statement.

“As we operate the country’s first international flight with fully-vaccinated crew, it may be recalled that it was Air India Express that operated India’s first-ever Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flight which touched down Indian soil on May 7, 2020, carrying passengers from Abu Dhabi.”

“We are happy that now our teams are shielded with the protection of the vaccines,” it added.

Air India Express has operated over 7,000 VBM flights carrying a total of 1.63 million passengers till May.