Middle East war: Air India, Air India Express continue ops, announce additional flights for Indian nationals stranded in UAE
Exam Brief
GS-2Air India and Air India Express continue Middle East operations during Iran conflict; add extra flights for evacuation. DGCA issued advisories for rerouting to avoid Iranian airspace. Highlights civil aviation crisis management and India's aviation connectivity with Gulf.
Key Facts
- Air India and Air India Express maintained operations with rerouted flight paths
- DGCA issued NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) for airspace avoidance over Iran
- India-Gulf aviation: one of the busiest corridors globally (~9 million Indian diaspora)
- Aviation sector is regulated by DGCA under Aircraft Act 1934
- ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) — UN body; India is member
- Open Skies agreement — India has bilateral agreements with 116 countries
Prelims — What UPSC Might Ask
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Hundreds of passengers remain stranded across the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted travel across parts of the Gulf region. Authorities and airlines are now making efforts to bring affected nationals back home.
Air India, Air India Express
With airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman remaining open, Air India and Air India Express said on March 8 that they will continue operating flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat, which have been assessed as safe for operations.
“Air India is maintaining scheduled flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Jeddah and back. Air India Express continues scheduled operations connecting Muscat with Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Kannur, as well as services between Jeddah and Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangaluru,” the airlines said.
The carriers also announced that additional non-scheduled flights will operate on March 8 to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah to bring stranded passengers back to India. Since these flights are intended primarily for stranded travellers, priority will be given to passengers holding existing bookings with either airline.
Air India’s additional flights will operate from Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai and back, while Air India Express will run 30 extra flights between India and UAE cities including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.
#ImportantUpdate Air India and Air India Express are committed to flying you to your destination and continue to operate scheduled flights to/from Jeddah and Muscat which are assessed safe for operations. Additional non-scheduled flights are planned to operate to and from Abu… — Air India (@airindia) March 7, 2026 #ImportantUpdate
Air India and Air India Express are committed to flying you to your destination and continue to operate scheduled flights to/from Jeddah and Muscat which are assessed safe for operations.
Additional non-scheduled flights are planned to operate to and from Abu…
— Air India (@airindia) March 7, 2026
In a post on X, the airlines said that flight timings and schedules may change due to the evolving conflict situation in West Asia. Passengers have been advised to verify their flight status before heading to the airport.
Air India also said that its flights to Europe and North America are operating normally through safe alternative routings.
**The following scheduled flights are planned to operate on 8th March 2026: **
The airlines further advised passengers requiring rebooking or cancellation to submit requests through the Air India website. For assistance, travellers can contact the airline’s 24×7 customer support at +91-11-69329333 or +91-11-69329999.
Air India Express passengers departing from any station in the UAE can also rebook their flights without additional charges on the airline’s extra commercial services operating from UAE cities to destinations across India.
Etihad Airways
According to its latest advisory, Etihad Airways will continue operating a limited commercial flight schedule from March 6, 2026, with services running between Abu Dhabi and several global destinations.
The airline said priority will be given to passengers holding existing bookings and advised travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
The following destinations are scheduled to operate to and from Abu Dhabi between March 6 and March 19:
Ahmedabad, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Bengaluru, Boston, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Chiang Mai, Chicago, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar (Bali), Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Karachi, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London (Heathrow), Madrid, Malé, Manchester, Manila, Medina, Melbourne, Milan (Malpensa), Moscow (Sheremetyevo), Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York (JFK), Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Prague, Riyadh, Rome, Seoul (Incheon), Seychelles, Singapore, St Petersburg, Sydney, Taipei, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington and Zurich.
Latest flight schedule The latest flight schedule for the coming days is available at:https://t.co/GD92B7qTC1 Guests with previous bookings will be accommodated on these flights as soon as possible. Tickets are also available for sale on https://t.co/CWJT5GvRGm. Guests and… pic.twitter.com/zOXVefM8KR — Etihad Airways (@etihad) March 7, 2026 Latest flight schedule
The latest flight schedule for the coming days is available at:https://t.co/GD92B7qTC1
Guests with previous bookings will be accommodated on these flights as soon as possible. Tickets are also available for sale on https://t.co/CWJT5GvRGm.
Guests and… pic.twitter.com/zOXVefM8KR
— Etihad Airways (@etihad) March 7, 2026
“All services remain subject to operational approvals and may be adjusted depending on regional airspace conditions,” the airline said in the advisory.
Etihad also said that passengers holding tickets issued on or before February 28, 2026, with original travel dates up to March 21, 2026, can rebook free of charge on Etihad-operated flights for travel until May 15, 2026. It added that passengers on all Etihad flights until 21 March may request a refund at http://etihad.com/en/help/refund-form or through their travel agent.
Emirates
Emirates on March 8 said it has resumed its operations. Here is a list of flights available from UAE to India.
As of March 8, Indigo in its advisory said that it will continue to operate flights to 8 destinations in the Middle East.
Travel Advisory As the situation in and around the Middle East continues to evolve, we understand that many customers are still waiting to reach the places and the people that matter most to them. On 8th March 2026, our planned operations are as follows: • We are pleased to… pic.twitter.com/3UgqQp6fHV — IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) March 7, 2026 Travel Advisory
As the situation in and around the Middle East continues to evolve, we understand that many customers are still waiting to reach the places and the people that matter most to them.
On 8th March 2026, our planned operations are as follows:
• We are pleased to… pic.twitter.com/3UgqQp6fHV
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) March 7, 2026
The airlines also added that it will restart operations to Europe. “We are pleased to restart our Europe operations, reconnecting customers with key destinations across the region.”
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways said it is only continuing limited flight operationst to Doha.
The airlines will operate the following flights to Hamad International Airport on March 8 — Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), Bangkok (BKK). These flights are only for passengers whose final destination is Doha.
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