NEW DELHI — A glimmer of hope emerged for thousands of Indian nationals stranded in the Middle East on Monday night as over 600 passengers arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from the United Arab Emirates. Following a tense three-day suspension of air travel due to the escalating military conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, two major foreign carriers successfully completed their first rescue operations. An Etihad Airways flight carrying 310 passengers was the first to land, followed by an Emirates aircraft with 325 people on board that touched down at approximately 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
The arrivals follow an urgent high-level review meeting chaired by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday evening. During the session, the Minister directed officials to explore every possible avenue to ensure the safe and swift repatriation of citizens caught in the regional crossfire. As part of this coordinated effort, IndiGo is preparing to launch 10 special relief flights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting March 3, provided that airspace conditions remain stable and required approvals are secured.
In addition to the Jeddah mission, SpiceJet has announced a dedicated operation from Fujairah International Airport in the UAE. Beginning Tuesday, the airline will run special flights to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi to alleviate the backlog of travellers currently unable to secure passage through major hubs like Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Air India has confirmed that it is gradually restoring its long-haul services to Canada, the United States, and Europe by utilizing longer flight paths to avoid restricted airspaces. The national carrier stated that full-scale operations to the Middle East will resume immediately once the security environment is deemed favourable for commercial aviation.
While the majority of those returning are Indian expatriates, the rescue flights also included several foreign nationals who had been grounded during the sudden closure of regional flight corridors. The Ministry of Civil Aviation continues to monitor the situation in real-time, coordinating with international authorities to maintain safe transit routes as the geopolitical crisis in West Asia evolves.
