Indian airlines are steadily restoring air connectivity between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, operating both scheduled and ad-hoc flights to meet growing passenger demand amid evolving airspace conditions. The ramp-up reflects a coordinated effort by Indian carriers to maintain regional and international connectivity while ensuring passenger safety and operational reliability.
Air India Group Expands Capacity Across West Asia
The Air India Group, including Air India and Air India Express, will operate 58 flights to and from West Asia on March 11, covering both scheduled and non-scheduled ad-hoc operations. Scheduled routes focus on high-demand destinations such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Muscat, Oman.
- Jeddah:
- Air India operates one round-trip each from Delhi and Mumbai.
- Air India Express operates one round-trip each from Hyderabad and Kozhikode.
- Muscat:
- Air India Express operates one round-trip each from Delhi, Mumbai, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchirappalli.
- Kochi is served with two round-trips per day.
In addition to these scheduled flights, 36 ad-hoc flights are planned to the United Arab Emirates, subject to slot availability. Key UAE operations include:
- Dubai:
- Air India: two additional sectors from Delhi, three from Mumbai.
- Air India Express: two sectors each from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.
- Abu Dhabi:
- Air India Express: flights from Bengaluru and Mumbai.
- Ras Al Khaimah:
- Flights from Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai (two sectors each).
- Sharjah:
- Flights from Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Despite the expansion, certain destinations—including Al Ain, Salalah, Riyadh, Dammam, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, and Tel Aviv—remain temporarily without service.
IndiGo Gradually Restores Middle East Network
IndiGo is steadily rebuilding its network across the Middle East while monitoring safety and aviation authority guidelines. On March 11, the airline operated flights to eight destinations in the region, in addition to select European services.
- Europe:
- Mumbai-London Heathrow: flights 6E 1 and 6E 2.
- Mumbai-Amsterdam: flights 6E 21, 6E 24, 6E 25.
- Manchester-Delhi: flight 6E 34.
- Saudi Arabia:
- Hyderabad-Madina: flight 6E 57.
- Madina-Mumbai: flight 6E 60.
- Jeddah connections: flights 6E 61–6E 92 linking Jeddah to Mumbai, Kozhikode, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
- UAE:
- Sharjah-Hyderabad: flights 6E 1421 and 6E 1422.
- Dubai-Mumbai and Dubai-Delhi: flights 6E 1453–6E 1464.
- Hyderabad-Ras Al Khaimah: flights 6E 1495 and 6E 1496.
- Mumbai-Fujairah: flights 6E 1501 and 6E 1502.
Other Indian Carriers Maintain Limited Services
- SpiceJet operates select UAE routes, including Dubai-Kochi (flight SG17).
- Akasa Air maintains limited services to Saudi Arabia: Mumbai-Jeddah (QP561) and Ahmedabad-Jeddah(QP563). Several other Middle East routes remain temporarily suspended after safety reviews.
Gulf Carriers Continue Operations on a Limited Schedule
Etihad Airways, from its Abu Dhabi hub, maintains a broad international network with multiple departures across Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Key Indian routes include:
- Abu Dhabi–Delhi: EY216 (15:10), EY218 (18:00)
- Abu Dhabi–Mumbai: EY204 (15:30), EY206 (18:10)
- Abu Dhabi–Hyderabad: EY352 (18:20)
- Abu Dhabi–Ahmedabad: EY246 (18:30)
- Abu Dhabi–Cochin: EY334 (15:20)
Other Middle East flights include Abu Dhabi–Jeddah (EY615) and Abu Dhabi–Riyadh (EY553). Long-haul international operations cover destinations such as New York (EY003), Toronto (EY021), Bangkok (EY406), Colombo (EY390), and European cities including London, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and Zurich.
Emirates operates multiple flights from Dubai to India, connecting Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kolkata. Specific flights include Dubai-Mumbai EK500, EK502, EK504, EK506, EK508; Dubai-Delhi EK510, EK514, EK516; Dubai-Hyderabad EK528; Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram EK522; Dubai-Kochi EK530, EK532; and Dubai-Kolkata EK570, EK572.
Gradual Recovery Signals Strengthening Air Connectivity
The coordinated ramp-up by Indian and Gulf carriers reflects the gradual stabilization of regional airspace and renewed confidence in India-GCC travel. With more than 150 daily flights across key routes in the Middle East, airlines are supporting both business and leisure travel while maintaining flexibility to adjust operations based on safety conditions and passenger demand.
As connectivity continues to normalize, Indian carriers are poised to strengthen India-GCC ties, facilitating trade, tourism, and cultural exchange while ensuring operational resilience in a challenging aviation environment.
