Indian Carriers Gradually Resume Flights To And From Gulf Region

2026-03-03 02:23:16

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) [Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]

Indian carriers on Tuesday cautiously announced the launch of special services to the Gulf region to cater to the needs of stranded travellers. Air India flew in the first batch of passengers from Dubai to Delhi. All the leading operators, including IndiGo, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air announced the operation of special relief flights from India to the Gulf.

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Air India flew in passengers from Dubai to New Delhi, making it the first international flight to land in the national capital on Tuesday. The aircraft had 149 passengers and eight operating crew.

"A heartfelt thank you to our teams, the Government of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the local authorities in Dubai for their continued cooperation and for making this homecoming possible,” the airline said in a post on X, amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East

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Passengers who landed in Delhi – who were mostly Indian tourists to Dubai – thanked the airline and also the authorities in Dubai for their swift return journey to India.

Air India said all its flights to North America and Europe will operate as scheduled, but using alternative routings over available airspaces in the Middle East, which is expected to add to the flying times.“Additionally, flights to New York (JFK) and Newark (Liberty International) will operate with technical stops at Rome (Fiumicino Airport),” said an airline release.

Meanwhile, Air India Express is resuming its operations to and from Muscat. IndiGo is operating 10 special relief flights from Jeddah to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The airline said it is coordinating with the Consulate-General of India in Jeddah to help passengers in Jeddah, who were unable to travel because of the US-Iran war.

Akasa Air will operate select services on the Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai route on Tuesday and Wednesday,“following a comprehensive safety review.” It will also run return services between Ahmedabad and Jeddah. Its services to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Riyadh will remain suspended until Wednesday. The airline said it continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Middle East.

SpiceJet will also operate special flights from the UAE from Tuesday, connecting Fujairah with Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi. From Wednesday, it will resume its regular scheduled flights between Fujairah and Delhi and Mumbai.

“In such difficult times, our foremost priority is to help Indian citizens who are going through uncertainty and wish to return home,” said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet.

Pralhad Joshi, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, assured the Indian government is determined to bring people back to the country. According the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines will deploy additional capacity where required and coordinate with airport and other authorities in different countries in the region and Indian missions abroad to ensue safe movement of passengers.