<span style="color: #222222;">Phase 8 of the Vande Bharat Mission has been operational since the first of November. Briefing media virtually this evening, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, this Phase has now been extended until the 31st of December. Under this extended phase called Phase 8 Plus, 897 international flights have been scheduled to operate from 15 countries with a capacity to repatriate an estimated 1.5 lakh people.<br />''  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In addition to this, flights operated under the bilateral air bubble arrangements with 18 countries are progressing smoothly. As of today, 34.1 lakh Indians have been repatriated through different modes.</span>