InterGlobe Aviation run IndiGo plans to operate ten special relief flights from Jeddah to India on Tuesday (March 3) for the evacuation of stranded passengers amid escalating US-Iran tensions, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday (March 2).
The country’s largest airline is coordinating with the Consulate General of India at Jeddah for passenger facilitation and will operate the flights, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions, MoCA said.
Air India Express also plans to restart flight operations to West Asia from Tuesday, with the Tata Group airline looking to operate flights to Muscat from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Tiruchirappally, the airlines said in statement on Monday night.
First Air India Express flight from Muscat
The first Air India Express flight from Muscat will operate to Tiruchirappalli, departing at 1025 IST.
Multiple foreign carriers, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Saudia, and Oman Air will also restart limited operations, subject to operational and airspace considerations.
Domestic airlines have cancelled around 357 international flights on Monday (March 2), with more cancellations expected to be announced over the rest of the week due to airspace restrictions over West Asia following the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory attacks, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday.
IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air suspend operations
IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have all suspended operations to the Middle East due to the closure of airspaces over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, with around 1050 flights being cancelled since February 28.
Emirates, FlyDubai, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Saudia, and Kuwait Airways have also cancelled around 4,077 total flights since February 28.
The government also said that domestic airlines are undertaking calibrated adjustments to their schedules, with long-haul and ultra-long-haul operations being progressively resumed through alternative routings that avoid restricted airspace.
“Aircraft and crew repositioning measures are underway to restore operational stability at the earliest,” MoCA said.
The closure of the airspaces is not only expected to impact passengers over the coming weeks but is expected to significantly affect the finances and international expansion plans of domestic airlines in the final quarter of 2025-26.
Air travel between India and the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and North America is likely to face significant disruptions as airlines grapple with substantial operational challenges due to the closure of airspaces.