A young pilot from Faridabad has become a symbol of courage after successfully bringing back stranded Indians from the United Arab Emirates during rising tensions in the Middle East. The 23-year-old pilot, Deepika Adhana, made headlines after telling her mother an emotional line before leaving for the risky mission: “Mom, bye-bye… I don’t know if I will come back or not.”
According to NDTV, the dramatic incident happened during a period of heightened tensions involving the Iran, Israel and the United States, which had created a war-like situation in parts of the Middle East. Because of the conflict, several flights between India and Gulf countries were disrupted, leaving many Indians stranded abroad.
Deepika Adhana, who works as a pilot with Air India Express, was suddenly assigned to take part in a rescue operation on March 6. The mission required flying to Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE to evacuate Indian citizens who were unable to return home due to the tense security situation.
Interestingly, the flight was originally scheduled to be operated by one of her colleagues. However, just a few hours before departure, Deepika received instructions to take over the mission. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the situation in the region, she accepted the assignment and prepared for take-off.
Before leaving, she called her family to inform them about the urgent flight. During that emotional conversation, she told her mother that the mission could be dangerous. Her words — “Mom, bye-bye. I don’t know if I will come back or not” — later became widely shared after the successful completion of the rescue mission.
Deepika was part of an all-women crew, which included Captain Jaswinder Kaur and four other female cabin crew members. The team flew the aircraft to Ras Al Khaimah and safely landed at the airport around the afternoon. Even though the airport appeared quieter than usual because of the tense regional situation, operations continued smoothly.
Soon after landing, 169 Indian passengers boarded the aircraft for the evacuation flight back to India. The return journey was mostly smooth, but the crew experienced a tense moment when communication with air traffic control was briefly lost during take-off. Fortunately, the connection was restored quickly and the flight continued safely toward India.
Eventually, the aircraft landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Many of the rescued passengers expressed gratitude to the crew for bringing them home during such a stressful situation.
Deepika’s mother later spoke about the emotional moment when her daughter left for the mission. She recalled the words her daughter had said before departure and expressed relief and happiness after learning that the flight had safely returned with passengers.
Deepika Adhana comes from the Tigaon area of Faridabad. Her father, Yogesh Adhana, works as an architect, while her mother Babli Adhana is a homemaker. Deepika has often said that her decision to become a pilot was inspired by her late grandfather, who dreamed of seeing her fly an aircraft one day.
Today, her bravery has been widely praised, and many people see her as an example of dedication and courage during a time of international crisis.
Read more war updates here
