After days of disruption triggered by airspace closures in parts of West Asia following the US-Iran conflict, Etihad and Emirates airlines restarted operating flights to various parts of the country on Monday.
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Etihad operated evacuation flights from Abu Dhabi. Its flight EY216 to Delhi landed at around 8 pm; EY 204 to Mumbai landed around 7:40 pm, EY334 to Kochi (Cochin) landed at around 10:10 pm; and EY 238 to Bengaluru landed at 9:45 pm.
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As per officials aware of the development, Emirates was also scheduled to operate a full bank of overnight services between Dubai and five major Indian cities for March 2, signaling a calibrated restoration of operations.
“The airline will deploy its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft on the Mumbai and Bengaluru sector. The EK500 is scheduled to depart Dubai at 8pm (local time) to arrive in Mumbai at 12.35am IST (on March 3),” a ministry official said. “Emirates’ EK568 is scheduled to depart Dubai at 11:35 pm to land at Bengaluru at 2:40 am, while EK569 is scheduled to return at 4:30 am.”
“Services to Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad will be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft in a similar overnight pattern. Departures from Dubai to these three places are scheduled between 9 pm to 9:30 pm local time, with arrivals into India shortly after 2 am. Return legs leave between 3:50 and 4:10 am, reaching Dubai early morning,” the official added.
“The situation in the Middle East region continues to be closely monitored to facilitate relief for passengers. Due to the ongoing situation, 357 flights planned for operation today were cancelled. We at the Ministry of Civil Aviation are closely monitoring passenger grievances through the Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) and ensuring prompt redressal on priority,” the Indian civil aviation ministry’s post on X read.
“A total of 559 grievances have been addressed during this period through AirSewa, social media platforms, and dedicated helpline calls, in coordination with airlines and concerned stakeholders. Passengers are advised to check official airline channels for accurate updates regarding cancellations and rescheduling. For assistance, they may contact the Ministry’s PACR helpline numbers at 011-24604283 / 011-24632987,” it added.
The ministry said that in a high-level meeting chaired by civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu; attended by secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and all senior officials, Indian carriers have undertaken calibrated adjustments to their schedules, with long-haul and ultra long-haul operations being progressively resumed through alternative routings that avoid restricted airspace.
“Aircraft and crew repositioning measures are underway to restore operational stability at the earliest. Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers. Airlines are deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement,” a statement from the government read.
It said that IndiGo had planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on Tuesday to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. “Aircraft that had to be grounded in Jeddah are expected to fly the passengers on Tuesday,” an official said.
“IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India at Jeddah for passenger facilitation. Foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf region are also undertaking limited operations, subject to operational and airspace considerations,” the statement read.
The government said that it had asked all airlines to maintain transparent communication with passengers and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements concerning refunds, rescheduling, and passenger assistance.
“Passengers are advised to check the latest flight status directly with their respective airlines before proceeding to the airport and to rely only on official sources for updates. The Ministry remains in continuous coordination with airlines, airport operators, regulatory authorities, and the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure safe operations, orderly restoration of services, and facilitation of affected passengers,” its statement read.
An Air India spokesperson said, “In view of the continued closure of multiple airspaces over the Middle East, Air India has extended the temporary suspension of all its flights to and from the region up until 11:59 pm (IST) of March 3, 2026.”
The airline, however, commenced scheduled operations to all its destinations in the US, Canada, Europe and UK. From 12 am on Monday to 11:59 pm, seven flights to the US and Canada took off via Rome and Vienna, respectively.
Thirteen flights departed from India to Europe including to London Heathrow, Gatwick, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan and Paris.
“Barring the flights announced as canceled on Sunday (Copenhagen, Birmingham and Zurich), all western country flights were operated by Air India on Monday,” an official said.
Air India Express, the second largest Indian airline to operate to the Middle East/West Asia, will resume flight operations to and from Muscat from Tuesday with scheduled services to Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli.
Akasa Air continued to cancel its flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, and Riyadh for Tuesday. It however, offered full refund for bookings to or from these cities till March 7. Similarly, SpiceJet announced it would cancel 29 flights on Monday and Tuesday.