IndiGo plans 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India amid Gulf crisis
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Monday said that IndiGo has planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on Tuesday, (March 3) to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India at Jeddah for passenger facilitation. Besides, Air India Express will restart flights to and from Muscat on Tuesday.
This comes after a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu. The meeting was attended by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and other senior officials.
The ministry said after the meeting that it is closely monitoring the evolving airspace situation in parts of the Middle East and its impact on international flight operations.
“Indian carriers have undertaken calibrated adjustments to their schedules, with long-haul and ultra-long-haul operations being progressively resumed through alternative routings that avoid restricted airspace. Aircraft and crew repositioning measures are underway to restore operational stability at the earliest. Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of 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 Ministry said in its latest update on the Middle East airspace situation.
According to the Ministry, foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf region are also undertaking limited operations, subject to operational and airspace considerations.
“Passenger safety remains paramount. All airlines have been advised to maintain transparent communication with passengers and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements concerning refunds, rescheduling, and passenger assistance.
Passengers are advised to check the latest flight status directly with their respective airlines before proceeding to the airport and to rely only on official sources for updates,” it added. More than 300 international flights, including arrivals and departures, have been cancelled on Monday as the operational disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict continued for the third day.
On Monday, IndiGo cancelled more than 163 flights while Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- cancelled over 110 services. SpiceJet cancelled at least 20 flights, whereas Akasa Air did not operate eight flights, according to officials and information gathered from websites and X. Together, Indian airlines cancelled over 300 overseas flights.
Air India operated around 20 flights to North America and Europe on Monday. The flights took the longer route of overflying Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt before entering Europe. Meanwhile, Mumbai and Delhi airports saw 116 and 87 cancellations, respectively, during the day. The cancellations at Bengaluru and Chennai airports stood at 72 and 28 services, respectively.
