After days of disruption caused by the closure of airspace in parts of West Asia in the wake of the US-Iran conflict, Etihad Airways and Emirates resumed operating flights to various parts of the country on Monday.
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Etihad Airways operated evacuation flights from Abu Dhabi. Its flight EY216 to Delhi landed at around 8pm; Flight EY 204 to Mumbai landed at around 7:40pm, and flight EY334 to Kochi (Cochin) landed at around 10:10pm; Flight EY 238 to Bengaluru landed at 9:45 pm.
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According to officials familiar with the development, Emirates was also scheduled to operate a full bank of night services between Dubai and five major Indian cities on March 2, indicating a restoration of calibration of operations.
“The airline will operate its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft on the Mumbai and Bengaluru sector. The EK500 flight is scheduled to depart Dubai at 8 pm (local time) and arrive in Mumbai at 12:35 am IST (on March 3),” a ministry official said. Emirates flight EK 568 is scheduled to depart Dubai at 11:35 pm, arriving in Bengaluru at 2:40 am, while EK 569 is scheduled to return at 4:30 am.
“The services to Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad will be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft in a similar overnight pattern. Dubai is scheduled to depart to these three places between 9pm and 9.30pm local time, with arrival in India shortly after 2am. Return flights will depart between 3:50am and 4:10am, arriving in Dubai early in the morning,” the official added.
The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation’s post on
“A total of 559 complaints were addressed during this period through AirSewa, social media platforms and dedicated helpline calls, in coordination with airlines and relevant stakeholders. Passengers are advised to check official airline channels for accurate updates on cancellations and rescheduling. For assistance, they can call the ministry’s PACR helpline numbers on 011-24604283 / 011-24632987,” she added.
The ministry said that in a high-level meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu; In the presence of Secretary Sameer Kumar Sinha and all senior officials, Indian airlines made calibration adjustments to their schedules, with long-haul and ultra-long-haul operations gradually resuming through alternative routes avoiding restricted airspace.
“Measures are being taken to reposition aircraft and crew to restore operational stability at the earliest. Special arrangements are being made to facilitate movement of stranded passengers. Airlines are deploying additional capabilities as and when required and are coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly movement of passengers,” a government statement said.
It said IndiGo had planned ten special relief operations from Jeddah to India on Tuesday to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to the required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. One of the officials said: “The planes that were forced to land in Jeddah are expected to transport passengers on Tuesday.”
“IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India in Jeddah to facilitate travellers. Foreign airlines operating between India and the Gulf region are also conducting limited operations, keeping in mind operational and airspace considerations,” the statement read.
The government said it has asked all airlines to maintain transparent communications with passengers and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements related to refunds, rescheduling and passenger assistance.
“Passengers are advised to check the latest flight status directly with their airlines before heading to the airport and rely only on official sources for updates. “The Ministry continues continuous coordination with airlines, airport operators, regulatory authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure safe operations, orderly restoration of services and facilitation of affected passengers,” the ministry’s statement said.
“In view of the ongoing closure of multiple airspaces over the Middle East, Air India has extended the temporary suspension of all its flights to and from the region until 11:59 pm (IST) on 3 March 2026,” an Air India spokesperson said.
However, the airline has begun scheduled operations to all its destinations in the US, Canada, Europe and the UK. From 12 a.m. on Monday to 11:59 p.m., seven flights took off to the United States and Canada via Rome and Vienna, respectively.
Thirteen flights departed from India to Europe including to London Heathrow, Gatwick, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan and Paris.
“Except for the flights announced to be canceled on Sunday (Copenhagen, Birmingham and Zurich), Air India operated all flights to Western countries on Monday,” an official said.
Air India Express, the second largest Indian airline operating to the Middle East and West Asia, will resume flight operations to and from Muscat from Tuesday with scheduled services to Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli.
Acasa Airlines continued to cancel its flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait and Riyadh on Tuesday. However, it has offered a full refund for bookings to and from these cities up to March 7. Likewise, SpiceJet announced that it will cancel 29 flights on Monday and Tuesday.
