Stuck in Dubai, Jeddah or Doha? Know which Indian airlines are flying special services and from where

India’s civil aviation authorities and airlines scrambled Tuesday to restore international operations and bring home stranded passengers as sweeping airspace closures across the Middle East triggered widespread flight cancellations for a third straight day.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said late Monday it was “closely monitoring” the evolving situation and its impact on international flight operations, as Indian carriers progressively resumed long-haul services through alternative routes that avoid restricted airspace.

The ministry said aircraft and crew repositioning measures were underway to stabilise operations, while special arrangements were being made to facilitate stranded passengers.

“Airlines are deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement,” the statement said.

Special flights from Jeddah and Fujairah

Indian carriers announced special relief flights from Gulf cities to ease the backlog.

According to the ministry, budget airline IndiGo has planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on March 3, subject to regulatory approvals and prevailing airspace conditions.

In a separate statement, IndiGo said it would operate dedicated flights from Jeddah to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad for passengers who were unable to travel earlier.

“Our teams will also be proactively reaching out to impacted customers with further details and assistance,” the airline said. “Please ensure your booking and contact details are up to date to receive timely updates. Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified.”

SpiceJet said it was operating special flights from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi between March 3 and March 5 to support stranded Indian nationals. The airline published a schedule of six flights over three days.

Full-service carrier Air India said it had resumed scheduled operations to the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom but extended the temporary suspension of all flights to and from the Middle East until 11:59 pm IST on March 3 due to continued airspace closures. The airline offered affected passengers full refunds or complimentary rescheduling.

Air India said it operated a Dubai-Delhi flight early Tuesday carrying 149 passengers, calling it the first Indian carrier arrival into New Delhi that day amid the ongoing disruptions.

Dozens of flights cancelled in Delhi, Kolkata

At New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, 80 international flights, including 36 departures and 44 arrivals, were cancelled Tuesday morning, according to an airport official. The airport handles more than 1,300 flights daily.

Delhi International Airport Ltd.(DIAL) said in a social media post that several westbound international flights were delayed or rescheduled due to the political situation in the Middle East.

An Emirates flight bound for Dubai returned to Delhi because of airspace restrictions, according to flight tracking data.

Some foreign carriers, including Emirates, partially resumed operations to and from the region.

In Kolkata, at least 10 international flights were cancelled Tuesday at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, including services by Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia linking the eastern Indian city with Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

Airport officials said five departures and five arrivals were called off, following around 20 cancellations a day earlier.

Indian airlines have cancelled 1,117 overseas flights in the past three days due to the crisis, officials said.

Regional airspace closures ripple globally

The disruptions follow escalating military exchanges involving Iran, the United States and Israel that have led to partial or full airspace closures across several Middle Eastern countries.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported largely empty skies over parts of the region on Monday. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated that about 13,000 of the roughly 32,000 flights scheduled into and out of the Middle East since the weekend had been cancelled.

The Middle East’s major hubs, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, serve as critical transit points connecting Europe, Africa and Asia. Dubai International Airport alone handled a record 95.2 million international passengers last year, making it the world’s busiest airport for international travel.