NEW DELHI / MUMBAI — India’s civil aviation sector shifted into high gear on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, as domestic carriers significantly expanded their rescue operations to bring home thousands of citizens stranded by the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Following a limited resumption of services on Tuesday, Indian airlines have scheduled a total of 58 relief and repatriation flights for today, with IndiGo and the Air India group leading the mission to navigate restricted airspaces and volatile security conditions.
Massive Flight Mobilization
Of the 58 flights planned for Wednesday, IndiGo is slated to operate 30 services, while Air India and Air India Express will conduct 23 combined operations. This surge comes after a grueling weekend that saw 1,221 flights by Indian carriers and 388 by foreign airlines cancelled. On Tuesday, the first wave of repatriation began as Air India’s flight AI916D landed in Delhi from Dubai at 10:58 AM IST with 149 passengers, marking the first successful Indian-operated rescue mission since the crisis escalated. A second flight, AI918D, also returned to base, carrying 143 cockpit and cabin crew members who had been grounded in the UAE.
Strategic Hubs and Evacuation Routes
Mumbai has emerged as the primary gateway for returning citizens. Late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning saw a string of arrivals at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport:
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Emirates (EK8506): Arrived from Dubai at 1:55 PM.
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Star Air (S58503 & S58302): Two repatriation flights from Fujairah landed at 7:30 PM and 9:00 PM.
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IndiGo (6E8595 & 6E8636): Direct flights from Jeddah arrived near midnight.
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Air India Express (IX1115): A relief service from Fujairah touched down at 10:55 PM.
While Air India is deploying heavy-duty widebody aircraft to maximize capacity on routes to Jeddah and Dubai, Air India Express has focused on restoring the Muscat (Oman) corridor. However, services to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and other parts of Saudi Arabia remain suspended or strictly limited to repatriation missions until further security clearances are granted.
Ongoing Disruptions and Passenger Relife
Despite the increase in relief flights, the impact on domestic airports remains severe. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, 80 total arrivals and departures were cancelled on Tuesday alone, with similar disruptions reported in Bengaluru (44 cancellations) and Kolkata. Passengers returning from the Gulf have described scenes of high tension and confusion. Among those rescued was Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who expressed her gratitude to airline staff after experiencing “intense and uncertain” days while in transit through Dubai.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation continues to monitor the situation in real-time, warning that flight schedules are subject to sudden changes based on the evolving airspace restrictions over Iran and neighboring countries.
