Air India and its Express subsidiary are keeping vital Middle Eastern connections active today. Travelers can expect 14 scheduled services linking India with Jeddah, including crucial departures from Mumbai and Delhi. Furthermore, 12 flights will operate between Muscat and major Indian transit hubs like Kochi, Bengaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram. Beyond these regular routes, the carriers plan to run up to 24 special, non-scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though these depend heavily on landing slot availability. Operations heading toward Europe, Australia, and North America remain completely unaffected and will run as planned.
Prominent Middle Eastern airlines are currently running heavily modified timetables following partial airspace closures. Emirates is urging passengers to confirm departure details online before heading to the terminal, warning that Dubai transit travelers will only be permitted to board if their onward connection is officially operating. Similarly, Etihad has restricted its Abu Dhabi departures to a small number of essential destinations. Qatar Airways halted routine operations due to closed skies, offering only a highly restricted set of flights until late March. Full service will only return once local civil aviation authorities declare the skies entirely safe.
Western carriers have swiftly pulled back from several regional markets due to escalating geopolitical tensions. Air Canada scrapped all Dubai journeys through late March and suspended Tel Aviv operations into early May. Delta grounded its New York to Tel Aviv connections until early April, while completely pausing its Atlanta route to Israel until August. British Airways halted operations to multiple major hubs, including Dubai, Doha, Tel Aviv, and Bahrain, for the remainder of the month.
Budget and regional operators are taking strict precautions to ensure passenger safety. Saudi-based Flynas halted travel to destinations like Kuwait, Iraq, and Sharjah until the end of March. Pegasus Airlines followed suit, dropping routes to Beirut, Dammam, and Abu Dhabi until mid-April, alongside pausing Riyadh trips for the immediate future. Travelers impacted by these widespread changes should reach out to their respective booking agents to explore refunds or alternative travel dates.
