Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports began limited passenger operations on Monday after three days of flight suspension that left thousands of passengers stranded around the world.
While Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways operated a limited number of flights on Monday, including to India to transport stranded passengers, Air India Express plans to restart it’s flights to Muscat from Tuesday.
In a statement Dubai airport said small number of flights will be operated from Dubai International and Dubai World Central airports from Monday evening.
“Dubai Airports continues to closely monitor the situation in coordination with relevant authorities, and our focus remains on maintaining the highest standards of operational safety, security, and wellbeing of passengers and staff,” the airport said.
An Air India Express executive said flights to Muscat will start from Tuesday while services to other destinations in West Asia remain cancelled as of now.
“As part of our continued precautionary approach, the temporary suspension of select international flights operating through parts of the Middle Eastern airspace has been extended,” IndiGo said. Akasa said on Monday it is monitoring situation in Middle East and it’s flights to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh and Kuwait remain cancelled on Tuesday.
85 flights cancelled in Chennai, Bengaluru on Monday
As many as 13 incoming flights from various destinations in Middle East to Chennai were cancelled on Monday due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. According to Chennai airport, the cancellations affected flights scheduled to arrive between 6 am and 11.59 am. The impacted services included flights from Dubai operated by Emirates and IndiGo; Doha services by IndiGo and Qatar Airways and flights from Abu Dhabi operated by Etihad Airways and Air Arabia.
Bengaluru airport saw 72 cancellations, including 39 arrivals and 32 departures.
“I am closely monitoring the evolving situation in parts of the Middle East following the recent escalation of tensions. The safety and well-being of every Kannadiga abroad is our highest priority.”
Around 100 Kannadigas are stranded in the UAE, including Dubai and nine in Bahrain, due to airspace disruptions and flight cancellations. “Our teams are in constant touch to verify details and extend assistance,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister noted that the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and District Emergency Operations Centres (DEOCs) have been activated round the clock.
IndiGo plans 10 special Jeddah-India relief flights
IndiGo has planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on March 3, 2026 to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India in Jeddah to facilitate passenger services.
Published on March 2, 2026