As airspaces reopened partially over the Gulf on Tuesday, thousands of Indian travellers stranded in West Asia began returning home after a three-day suspension of air traffic triggered by joint US–Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks. Yet, several hundred Indians remain marooned in Kuwait, where the airspace continues to be shut amid fears of further escalation.
About 70 flights operated between cities in West Asia and India on March 3, bringing home around 5,000 citizens, senior government officials said. Of the 70 total flights that operated on March 3, domestic carriers operated 24 flights while Emirates, Etihad and Oman Air operated 16 flights in the last 24 hours, and the rest were chartered flights.
Domestic airlines are expected to operate another 53 flights on Wednesday as part of the phased restoration plan.
“Indian carriers are further planning 58 flights on 4th March, including 30 by IndiGo and 23 by Air India and Air India Express,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We have seen the highest density of citizens stuck in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and we are coordinating with their governments to ensure the safe return of all Indian citizens,” the government official said.
What did MEA say?
The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement on Tuesday, said that some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days.
“There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Air India Express restored connectivity to Muscat from six cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, and Tiruchirappalli. IndiGo also operated 10 special relief flights from Jeddah to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad. SpiceJet announced special flights from Fujairah in the UAE to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi.
Akasa Air operated select flights to and from Jeddah.
More than 250 flights were cancelled despite partial resumption
Despite partial resumption, airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai saw over 250 cancellations on Tuesday alone. Since February 28, when the West Asia crisis began, domestic carriers have cancelled more than 1,221 international flights, while foreign carriers have cancelled 388 flights to the country.
Air India extended the temporary suspension of all flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 11:59 pm IST on March 3. The airline resumed scheduled operations to destinations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom using alternative routings over available airspaces. Akasa Air said flights to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, and Riyadh would remain suspended until March 4. IndiGo cancelled 43 flights to and from the region on March 3 due to prevailing circumstances.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the restoration of operations would depend on necessary regulatory approvals and evolving airspace conditions. The ministry noted that aviation authorities continue to monitor the situation closely. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has advised Indian airlines to resume services through airspaces that remain open, including those over Oman and Saudi Arabia.