Air travel between India and the Gulf region is gradually resuming after disruptions caused by the Iran-Israel conflict. Airlines like Air India and IndiGo have announced special and scheduled flights to bring back stranded passengers. Multiple countries in West Asia had closed their airspace, affecting flight operations between India and several Middle Eastern destinations. This led to widespread cancellations and left thousands of travelers stranded across the Gulf region.
Airports in cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have started partially resuming operations as some airspaces gradually reopen. This has allowed airlines to restart a limited number of flights primarily aimed at evacuating stranded passengers and maintaining essential connectivity. Air India mentioned in a statement that they are operating scheduled flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat, with additional non-scheduled flights planned for Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Ras Al-Khaimah, and Sharjah on March 7 to bring back stranded passengers to India.
Air India Express and Air India are set to operate around 50 services on March 7 connecting India with six Gulf cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Jeddah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah. These services comprise regular scheduled flights and additional non-scheduled flights arranged after the reopening of airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman. The flights will link major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram with various Gulf destinations.
The additional services by Air India are specifically aimed at assisting passengers stranded in the Gulf region during the crisis. The airline mentioned that these special flights have been approved by Indian authorities and aviation regulators in the Gulf region. IndiGo has also announced a limited restart of Middle East flights, operating services to five destinations in the region on Saturday. However, due to airspace restrictions, IndiGo has canceled 144 international flights scheduled for March 7.
