India ramps up flights to West Asia, airlines to operate 50 flights today amid widening conflict

Airlines are planning 50 flights for March 9.

• Ministry monitors West Asia tensions affecting India flights
• Airlines modify operations, add flights for passenger safety
• 52,000+ Indians safely returned from Gulf since March 1

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The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), on Monday, said it is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia that is affecting air travel between India and the region, and airlines are making necessary operational adjustments to ensure passenger safety.

In a statement, MoCA said, “The Ministry of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia affecting air travel between India and the West Asia region. Airlines are undertaking necessary operational adjustments in view of the prevailing conditions to ensure passenger safety and orderly conduct of flight operations.”

Passenger movement data showed that on March 7, 51 inbound flights operated by Indian carriers arrived in India from the region, carrying 8,175 passengers. For March 8, Indian carriers, including Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa, planned 49 inbound flights from airports such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, and Jeddah.

Airlines are planning 50 flights for March 9.

The ministry noted that carriers are continuously assessing conditions at other airports in the region to operate additional flights if feasible. “The Ministry remains in constant coordination with airlines and other stakeholders. Airfares are also being closely monitored to ensure that ticket prices remain reasonable and that there is no undue surge during this period,” the statement said.

Passengers have been advised to stay in touch with their airlines for updates.

Amid the developing situation, Air India, in the wee hours of the day, issued a travel advisory, confirming that its scheduled services to and from Jeddah and Muscat would continue, and detailing additional non-scheduled flights to the United Arab Emirates to assist stranded travelers.

The advisory stated, “Air India and Air India Express will continue to operate their respective scheduled services to and from Jeddah and Muscat on 9 March 2026, as the airspaces over Saudi Arabia and Oman remain open. The two airlines will together operate a total of 10 flights to and from Jeddah, and Air India Express will operate 14 flights to and from Muscat.”

It added that Air India would operate one round-trip each from Delhi and Mumbai to Jeddah, while Air India Express would operate one round-trip each from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kozhikode. Scheduled flights to Muscat will include one round-trip each from Delhi, Mumbai, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchirappalli, with two round-trips from Kochi.

Regarding additional ad-hoc flights, the airlines said, “In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 32 ad-hoc non-scheduled flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 09 March 2026 to assist in bringing stranded travellers home to India, subject to the availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the respective point of departure at the time.” These flights are operating with permissions from relevant Indian and local authorities.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier reported that over 52,000 Indians had returned safely from the Gulf region between March 1 and March 7. In a statement, the MEA said, “The Government of India is continuously monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, especially with regard to the welfare of Indian nationals who have been stranded there during transit or on short-duration visits.”

The increased flight operations come amid widening tensions in West Asia following the joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iranian territory on February 28, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, triggering retaliatory actions from Tehran.