New Delhi: Indian carriers Air India Group and IndiGo continued their calibrated flight operations to West Asia on Thursday, collectively scheduling 64 services as regional airspace conditions remain volatile.
The Air India Group, including Air India Express, has planned 34 flights for the day. Of these, 18 are non-scheduled or ad hoc services primarily focused on the United Arab Emirates, depending on slot availability and operational clearances.
Key UAE destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are being served through these special arrangements. Flights to Dubai are being operated from Delhi, while Abu Dhabi is connected via Air India Express from cities including Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru and Mumbai. Sharjah is linked with Amritsar and Kannur through similar services.
However, certain routes remain suspended. There are no operations to Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain, while flights to Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait and Tel Aviv continue to be halted due to prevailing conditions.
In Oman, regular flights to Muscat are continuing, with services from Delhi and Mumbai, but Salalah remains off the schedule. Saudi Arabia is witnessing partial connectivity, with flights to Jeddah and Riyadh still operational on select routes, while Dammam remains without service.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has scheduled 30 flights across its Middle East network, connecting major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kochi to destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat and Sharjah.
Both airlines have advised passengers to stay updated on flight schedules, citing rapidly changing conditions in West Asia. They noted that services may be adjusted at short notice depending on safety assessments.
Despite disruptions in regional sectors, long-haul flights to destinations in North America, Europe and Australia continue to operate as planned.
To ease inconvenience, airlines are offering passengers options for free rescheduling or full refunds, while also allowing flexible rebooking across available routes within their networks.