India C-17 Repatriation Passenger Count Discrepancy Explained

On February 26, 2020, the Government of India released a press statement regarding a special C-17 Globemaster III flight from New Delhi to Wuhan. The release stated that upon returning from China, the aircraft would retrieve approximately 120 personnel plus five children. (Primary source)

By April 3, 2020, the Armed Forces provided an updated report on their efforts against COVID-19. This official update cited a specific total of 125 persons evacuated on the return journey from China, explicitly including five children among Indian nationals and citizens from friendly countries. (Primary source)

The discrepancy arises because the February 26 figure was an initial projection for the return leg, whereas the April 3 report provided the final confirmed passenger count. The later update refined the earlier estimate to reflect the exact number of individuals evacuated.