Good news for those planning to visit Kuwait. After the Kuwait International Airport cautiously reopened its doors to direct international flights, India and Kuwait have moved quickly to formalise momentum on the ground. The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in the aviation sector and, more immediately, facilitating the early resumption of scheduled flight operations by Indian carriers from Kuwait.

India-Kuwait: Key Civil Aviation officials meet

On May 4, Sameer Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, held a virtual meeting with the President of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, H.E. Sheikh Hamoud Mubarak Hamoud Al-Sabah. 

The meeting, brief in its public disclosure but significant in its timing, signals that New Delhi is pushing to ensure Indian airlines are not left behind as Kuwait gradually rebuilds its aerial connectivity after more than two months of near-total disruption.

What triggered the shutdown — and what’s changed

Kuwait International Airport had remained largely cut off from direct international services since February 28, a casualty of the broader aerial disruption caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict. The ceasefire remains elusive, but the situation has shifted enough for limited operations to resume. On April 27, Kuwait’s low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways operated its first direct flights out of the country since the closure, connecting Kuwait to Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Mumbai.

India’s ambassador to Kuwait, Paramita Tripathi, was on board the Mumbai-bound service and posted on X: “Happy to be on the first flight to India as flight operations from Kuwait International Airport reopens. India stands in solidarity with Kuwait.”

For a country where Indians make up the single largest expatriate community among Gulf Cooperation Council states, the 57-day closure had significant human and logistical consequences. The resumption, however partial, offers some relief, though the pace of recovery remains cautious.

Airlines already up and running

Air India and IndiGo resumed flight operations from Qatar to India, the Ministry of External Affairs said last week. Qatar’s airspace remains partially open, with Qatar Airways already operating flights to multiple Indian destinations.

Flights from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain to India are also operational. Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways have resumed limited services from Kuwait, while Gulf Air is flying from Bahrain to several Indian cities.

Iraq’s airspace is open with limited regional flights that can be used for onward travel to India. Israel’s airspace is similarly open, with limited operations available for connecting travel.

Iran’s airspace remains partially open for cargo and charter flights only. The MEA has advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran and urged those already there to exit via land borders, with embassy assistance. The Indian embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated the movement of 2,445 nationals out of the country through land routes.

Since February 28, approximately 12.96 lakh passengers have travelled from the Gulf region to India.