The ongoing crisis in West Asia has disrupted air travel for a fourth day. The major upheaval, triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, has forced the airspace of several countries in the region to be closed. This has left millions of passengers stranded and thousands of flights cancelled.
Airlines, from India to the Gulf countries, are now working to evacuate Indian citizens through special flights. The crisis continued on Wednesday, and airlines have increased the number of relief flights.
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, as of Tuesday, 1,221 international flights of Indian airlines and 388 flights of foreign airlines had been cancelled. On Wednesday, Indian airlines planned to operate 58 special flights, including 30 flights of IndiGo and 23 flights of Air India and Air India Express.
Airlines Provide Relief
IndiGo is one of the airlines most affected by the crisis. The company informed the stock exchange that more than 500 flights have been cancelled since February 28th. This is a significant number and has caused significant inconvenience to passengers.
On the other hand, Air India has announced capacity increases on some key long-haul routes to meet demand. This includes additional flights to destinations like Toronto, Frankfurt, and Paris. These additional services are intended to provide better connections and flexibility to the domestic and Southeast Asian network from Delhi.
Dubai Airport Closed, Services Halted in Several Cities
Passenger services at airports in Bahrain, Doha, and Kuwait are completely suspended. Emirates and Air Arabia confirmed on Wednesday that all scheduled flights to and from Dubai will remain suspended until midnight on Saturday.
Emirates posted on X that passengers affected by the recent flight cancellations can message them directly. If anyone needs urgent assistance, they can call, but the call wait may be 2-3 hours. The company stated that refunds for bookings made on or before March 12th can be requested without contacting anyone.
DGCA's strict advisory: Avoid high-risk zones
On February 28th, the day the crisis began, the DGCA issued an advisory to all Indian airlines, advising them to avoid the airspace of high-risk zones such as Tehran, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Jeddah, Bahrain, Muscat, Baghdad, Amman, Kuwait, and Doha. This advice was issued with safety in mind, and airlines are changing routes or canceling flights accordingly.
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