Indian airlines operate 12 special flights from Gulf

PTI

New Delhi

Indian airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet, are operating over 12 special flights to various cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to bring back passengers stranded due to the escalating Middle East conflict.

Besides, the airlines would operate some special flights to the Middle East on Wednesday.

Providing relief for hundreds of passengers, whose travel plans have been disrupted by the crisis, Air India Express resumed its services to Muscat (Oman) on Tuesday, and IndiGo would restart services to Muscat (Oman), Jeddah and Madinah (Saudi Arabia) on Wednesday.

Air India is operating two special relief flights to Jeddah and Dubai with wide-body planes on Tuesday and another such flight to Dubai from Mumbai on March 4.

On Tuesday, Air India Express operated three special flights — Dubai-Bangalore, Abu Dhabi-Delhi and Sharjah-Mumbai — apart from the regular services to Muscat.

“Air India Express will continue to operate its scheduled flights to and from Muscat on March 4. Alongside regular services to/from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai, and Tiruchirappalli, we will also be operating additional flights to Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai,” the airline said in a statement.

IndiGo on Tuesday said it was operating four repatriation flights to Jeddah, and another flight is expected to be operated to Muscat later in the day.

SpiceJet would be operating one flight each from Fujaira (the UAE) to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on Tuesday. The airline said it would also have one service each from Fujairah to Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday.

Among other carriers, regional airline Star Air is operating two repatriation flights from Fujairah to Mumbai on Tuesday, according to a source.

On Tuesday, Gulf carrier Emirates operated at least one flight from Dubai to Delhi and another from Dubai to Mumbai.

“All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 2359hrs UAE time on 4 March, due to airspace closures across the region. Emirates continues to operate a limited number of passenger repatriation and freighter flights on 3 and 4 March,” Emirates said in a post on X.

Etihad Airways said all its scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 1400 UAE time on March 5.

“Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals,” it said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, more than 250 flights were cancelled at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai airports on Tuesday due to the Middle East conflict, officials said.