Why Flying Indians Out Of Iran Isn't As Simple As It Was In Ukraine

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Unlike the large-scale evacuation from Ukraine in 2022, India's efforts in Iran face tougher geography, closed airspace, and fewer viable exit routes
When war broke out in Ukraine in 2022, India moved swiftly. Within weeks, over 22,000 Indian students and citizens were flown out under Operation Ganga, a massive government-led airlift that became a model for crisis evacuations. More than 90 flights, including 14 Indian Air Force sorties, operated from neighbouring countries like Poland, Hungary, and Romania. At that time, Europe's airspace remained open, and these nations actively cooperated to ease the evacuation.
Fast forward to 2025, and a new crisis is brewing, this time in Iran, where Israeli airstrikes and fears of regional escalation have placed thousands of Indian nationals at risk. But replicating the Ukraine playbook here is proving next to impossible. The geography is tougher, the diplomatic landscape more complicated, and the nature of the threat is far more unpredictable.
Iran Is No Ukraine: A Tougher Neighbourhood, A Tighter Exit
One of the biggest reasons India could evacuate so many people from Ukraine was geography. Ukraine borders several friendly nations, and most of its western regions were not targeted in the early stages of the war. Students and workers could simply board buses or trains and reach border checkpoints, where Indian officials helped them cross into safer countries. From there, evacuation flights were quick and coordinated.
Iran, however, offers no such luxury. Its neighbours include Pakistan and Afghanistan to the east, both diplomatically difficult, and neither viable for a safe civilian crossing. Pakistan's airspace has remained closed to Indian aircraft since Operation Sindoor, and Afghanistan is still considered logistically unviable.
Azerbaijan, another neighbour, has openly backed Pakistan in diplomatic forums, further narrowing India's options. Armenia and Turkmenistan remain the only realistic corridors. Armenia, in particular, has emerged as the preferred route due to its stable ties with India, geographic proximity to northern Iran, and relative neutrality in the conflict. But even these routes require long, overland journeys through potentially dangerous areas.
Meanwhile, cities such as Arak, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, Isfahan, and Tabriz are effectively off-limits for evacuation planning due to their proximity to Iranian military or nuclear installations.
No Flights, No Name: Why India's Operation In Iran Is Under The Radar
In Ukraine, evacuation flights began within days. More than 90 flights—many operated by the Indian Air Force—brought students and citizens home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly thanked partner nations, and the government ran a visible, high-profile operation with constant updates.
Iran tells a different story. The airspace remains shut due to the threat of missile strikes, and there has been no public declaration of a named evacuation mission. As per reports, this is a deliberate decision. A quiet, low-profile operation is seen as the safer path in an already volatile region.
So far, around 110 Indian students have crossed into Armenia by road. Another 600 to 700 people have been moved from Tehran to safer locations within Iran, such as Qom, which is currently seen as a low-risk city. But there are no planes waiting on tarmacs. No big announcements. Just a cautious, ground-level operation.
Evacuation By Land, Not Air, And Not All Can Leave
What makes things harder is that Iran's internal infrastructure isn't built for large-scale movement during a crisis. In Ukraine, trains and roads stayed operational for much of the war. In Iran, many roads are dotted with military checkpoints. Fuel is hard to find. Reports have emerged of Indians travelling over 1,000 kilometres by road, often in unsafe conditions, just to reach a neighbouring country's border.
Adding to this is the scattered nature of the Indian population in Iran. Unlike Ukraine, where students were concentrated in specific cities, Indian nationals in Iran are spread across multiple regions—Tehran, Qom, Urmia, Isfahan, Kerman, and Tabriz—some of which are dangerously close to nuclear or military installations. Many simply cannot be moved quickly or safely, especially when air travel is off the table.
As of now, around 1,500 Indian students are still in high-risk zones and await further evacuation arrangements.
Indian Diplomacy At Work
India is not sitting idle. Behind the scenes, New Delhi is in touch with multiple governments, including Armenia, Turkmenistan, the UAE, and Azerbaijan, to explore safe passage for Indian nationals. The Indian embassy in Tehran has issued multiple advisories urging citizens—especially those in the capital—to leave using their own transport wherever possible, due to limited evacuation infrastructure. Emergency helplines are active, and a 24×7 control room has been set up to monitor developments and coordinate responses.
But unlike Europe, where cooperation was seamless and the political cost was low, West Asia is a different battlefield, both literally and diplomatically. Every movement has to be negotiated, every step calculated.
What Happens Next?
India's evacuation efforts from Iran are expected to continue in phases, with a focus on land-based movement through countries like Armenia and possibly Turkmenistan. Additional groups of Indian nationals, including students still in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz, are likely to be relocated to safer zones or moved toward exit points as and when security conditions allow.
While there is currently no indication of an airlift operation on the scale of Operation Ganga, officials are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with neighbouring governments to keep evacuation channels open.
For now, the priority remains the safe and steady movement of citizens, without attracting unnecessary attention or triggering regional complications. More groups are expected to be evacuated in the coming days, depending on how the security and diplomatic equations evolve.
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tags :
evacuations Indian students in Ukraine Israel-Iran tensions
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 18, 2025, 13:07 IST
News india Why Flying Indians Out Of Iran Isn't As Simple As It Was In Ukraine