West Asia crisis | Air India plane arrives in Delhi with 149 passengers from Dubai

Flight services continue to be disrupted in view of the escalating situation in the region and airspace closure; IndiGo, Air India Express and SpiceJet to run limited services

The escalating conflict in West Asia after US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and the subsequent closure of airspace in the region have triggered widespread disruption in international flight operations, affecting airports in India, West Asia and Gulf countries.

After three days of disruptions, there was an improvement on Tuesday, with IndiGo announcing four dedicated flights from Jeddah as part of its efforts to progressively normalise operations between Saudi Arabia and India. Air India Express will resume flight operations to and from Muscat from Tuesday and SpiceJet said it will operate four special flights from Fujairah in the UAE to bring back stranded passengers.

Air India has extended the temporary suspension of all its flights to and from the region until 23:59 hours (IST) on Tuesday.

Here is the latest on the flight operations.

Air India on Tuesday welcomed passengers and crew arriving from Dubai onboard a flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
This marked the first international arrival by an Indian carrier into the national capital, carrying 149 passengers and eight operating crew members, the airline said.

In the Air India Newsroom's X post, it said, "We are happy to welcome our guests and crew from Dubai aboard flight AI916D. This is the first flight by an Indian carrier to arrive in New Delhi today with 149 passengers and 8 operating crew members onboard, amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East. "

The airline expressed gratitude to its teams and authorities, stating, "A heartfelt thank you to our teams, the Government of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the local authorities in Dubai for their continued cooperation and for making this homecoming possible."

80 international flights cancelled at Delhi airport

As many as 80 international flights were cancelled at the Delhi airport on Tuesday morning due to operational disruptions for airlines amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.

Follow our LIVE coverage of West Asia conflicts here.

Some airlines, including Emirates, have partially started operations to and from the region.

An official said 36 departures and 44 arrivals were cancelled at the Delhi airport.

Meanwhile, an Emirates flight, EK513, enroute to Dubai returned to the national capital due to airspace restrictions, as per information available on flight tracking website www.flightradar24.com.

The official said on Tuesday morning, an Emirates flight, EK512, from Dubai landed at the Delhi airport.

10 flights cancelled at Kolkata airport 

At least 10 international flights were cancelled at the Kolkata airport on Tuesday, officials said.

Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia cancelled their flights connecting Kolkata with West Asia destinations.

"Today at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, a total of five departures and five arrivals have been cancelled," an airport official said.

According to details shared by the airport authorities, Emirates cancelled two arrival flights and two departure ones on the Dubai route, while Qatar Airways suspended one arrival flight and a departure one to Doha.

Etihad Airways called off one arrival flight and a departure one to Abu Dhabi, and Air Arabia cancelled two flights — one arrival and one departure — on the Abu Dhabi sector.

These cancellations came after at least 20 international flights were suspended at the Kolkata airport on Monday.

Multiple inbound and outbound flights between Kolkata and destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were cancelled at short notice, leaving several passengers stranded at the airport, another official said.

At Bangalore, at least 42 flights have been cancelled for the day.

In a post on X, Chennai airport said 30 flights have been cancelled.

The numbers include departures and arrivals.

Back home in Bengaluru and safe: P V Sindhu

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian badminton star P V Sindhu, who was stranded in Dubai due to closure of airspace in the Gulf region, has returned to the country after pulling out of the All England Championships in Birmingham.

Sindhu posted on X on Tuesday to announce that she is back in Bengaluru.

"Back home in Bangalore and safe. The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I'm truly grateful to be back to my house," she posted.

West Indies, Zimbabwe cricket teams stranded

The departure of West Indies and Zimbabwe cricket teams departure from India after their exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has been delayed owing to international airspace restrictions triggered by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Delays at IGI Airport

Several west-bound international flights from the IGI Airport were delayed amid the ongoing tensions in West Asia, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Tuesday.

Delhi Airport officials have urged the passengers to check the latest flight updates and consider alternate routes for travelling.

DIAL wrote in a passenger advisory, "Due to the ongoing political situation in the Middle East, several westbound international flights are causing delays or schedule adjustments. Passengers are advised to check the latest flight updates with their respective airlines before travelling to the airport. If required, please consider alternate routes or connections as suggested by your airline."

"We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. All other flight operations are currently operating as per schedule," the advisory read.

Delhi airport handles more than 1,300 flights daily.

In the last three days, Indian airlines cancelled 1,117 overseas flights due to the crisis in West Asia.

Flights to Muscat today

Air India Express said it will resume flight operations to and from Muscat from Tuesday.

The airlines said flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will remain suspended until 23:59 hrs IST on Tuesday.

Indigo to operate four flights from Jeddah

Indigo said it will operate four dedicated flights from Jeddah on Tuesday to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad as part of its efforts to progressively normalise operations between Saudi Arabia and India.

"These flights are being arranged to cater to customers who were already booked on our flights and have been unable to travel due to the prevailing circumstances," the airlines said.

SpiceJet to operate four special flights from Fujairah

SpiceJet on Tuesday said it will operate four special flights from Fujairah in the UAE to bring back stranded passengers.

In a statement, SpiceJet said it would operate four special flights to connect Fujairah with Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on Tuesday and for the next few days.

Out of them, two flights would be operated to Mumbai.

The airline is also exploring the possibility of operating more special flights, subject to passenger requirements and regulatory approvals.

SpiceJet will restore its scheduled Fujairah-Delhi and Fujairah-Mumbai flights from March 4, the statement said.

Air India not operate flights to West Asia, Gulf destinations today

Air India said it is closely monitoring and assessing the evolving situation in West Asia and has commenced scheduled operations to all its destinations in the USA, Canada, Europe and the UK, giving highest priority to the safety and security of our customers and crew.

In view of the continued closure of multiple airspaces over West Asia, Air India has extended the temporary suspension of all its flights to and from the region until 23:59 hours (IST) on Tuesday.

The airlines has asked passengers to check their flight status on http://airindia.com or contact its support team on [phone], or [phone] for more information.

Etihad suspends all commercial flights Abu Dhabi till March 4

Etihad Airways said all its scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 hours UAE time on March 4.

"Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals," it said in a update posted on X.

Flights arrive from Dubai, Abu Dhabi

An Emirates flight from Dubai to Mumbai landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday as flight operations gradually resumed.

Emirates flight EK 500 arrived in Mumbai amid tight coordination between airport authorities and airline officials.

In a similar development, the first flight from Abu Dhabi landed at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Monday night, bringing back passengers affected by the disruption in air travel services.

An Emirates flight from Dubai to Bengaluru departed on Monday night, as operations at Dubai airports began to partially resume.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 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. Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers.

Indian airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet, are operating over 12 special flights to various cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to bring back passengers stranded due to the escalating Middle East conflict.

Besides, the airlines would operate some special flights to the Middle East on Wednesday.

Providing relief for hundreds of passengers, whose travel plans have been disrupted by the crisis, Air India Express resumed its services to Muscat (Oman) on Tuesday, and IndiGo would restart services to Muscat (Oman), Jeddah and Madinah (Saudi Arabia) on Wednesday.

Air India is operating two special relief flights to Jeddah and Dubai with wide-body planes on Tuesday and another such flight to Dubai from Mumbai on March 4.

On Tuesday, Air India Express operated three special flights -- Dubai-Bangalore, Abu Dhabi-Delhi and Sharjah-Mumbai -- apart from the regular services to Muscat.

"Air India Express will continue to operate its scheduled flights to and from Muscat on March 4. Alongside regular services to/from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai, and Tiruchirappalli, we will also be operating additional flights to Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai," the airline said in a statement.

IndiGo on Tuesday said it was operating four repatriation flights to Jeddah, and another flight is expected to be operated to Muscat later in the day.

SpiceJet would be operating one flight each from Fujaira (the UAE) to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on Tuesday. The airline said it would also have one service each from Fujairah to Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday.

Among other carriers, regional airline Star Air is operating two repatriation flights from Fujairah to Mumbai on Tuesday, according to a source.

On Tuesday, Gulf carrier Emirates operated at least one flight from Dubai to Delhi and another from Dubai to Mumbai.

"All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 2359hrs UAE time on 4 March, due to airspace closures across the region. Emirates continues to operate a limited number of passenger repatriation and freighter flights on 3 and 4 March," Emirates said in a post on X.

Etihad Airways said all its scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 1400 UAE time on March 5.

"Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals," it said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, more than 250 flights were cancelled at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai airports on Tuesday due to the Middle East conflict, officials said.

(With agency inputs)