Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet Partially Resume West Asia Flights To Help Stranded Indians
Business
In a major relief for stranded travellers, Air India and IndiGo announced a partial resumption of flights on Tuesday to select long-haul destinations. However, most services to and from West Asia remain suspended for the third consecutive day as parts of the regional airspace continue to be shut amid the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) clarified that the restoration of operations will depend on necessary regulatory approvals and evolving airspace conditions. The ministry further noted that aviation authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.
“As part of our efforts to progressively normalize our operations between Saudi Arabia and India, we will be operating four dedicated flights from Jeddah tomorrow, 3rd March 2026, to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad. These flights are being arranged to cater to customers who were already booked on our flights and have been unable to travel due to the prevailing circumstances,” IndiGo said in a travel advisory.
Meanwhile, Air India Express confirmed that it has resumed scheduled operations to and from Muscat, Oman, starting Tuesday. At the same time, the carrier has extended cancellations to other West Asian destinations for another day due to continued airspace restrictions.
“The first Air India Express flight from Muscat will operate to Tiruchirappalli, departing at 10.25 hours local time,” said a company spokesperson. However, flight operations to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain suspended until 11:59 pm IST on Tuesday, the spokesperson added.
SpiceJet announced on Tuesday four special flights from Fujairah in the UAE from Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on March 3 and in the coming days. Two of the four flights will operate to Mumbai, subject to passenger demand and regulatory approvals.
The resumption of operations comes as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has advised Indian airlines to resume services through airspaces that remain open, including those over Oman and Saudi Arabia. It noted that there is a significant demand for both scheduled and charter flights from Indian nationals stranded in the conflict-affected region.
In a statement, MoCA said that IndiGo is coordinating closely with the Consulate General of India in Jeddah to facilitate passenger movement. The ministry added that special measures are being implemented to assist stranded travellers. Airlines are deploying additional aircraft capacity and working in coordination with foreign aviation authorities and Indian diplomatic missions to ensure safe and orderly evacuation. Foreign carriers operating between India and Gulf countries are also conducting limited flights, subject to operational feasibility and airspace permissions.
Air India has additionally approached authorities in Muscat seeking approval to operate charter services. The airline is planning to deploy wide-body aircraft to evacuate as many stranded passengers as possible. It is also preparing to resume regular flights to Jeddah using its Boeing 777 aircraft, which can accommodate up to 342 passengers. IndiGo, too, is exploring the possibility of operating multiple additional services, as it has received a large number of charter requests amid the ongoing crisis.