Indian airlines are preparing to run relief flights from the Middle East
Domestic airlines will run special relief flights from the Middle East to let travelers who are stuck there because of the escalating tension between the United States, Israel, and Iran return.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, IndiGo would run ten special relief flights from Jeddah to India on Tuesday.
On March 3, SpiceJet said that it will run four special flights from the United Arab Emirates to help Indian people who were trapped there due to the abrupt shutdown of airspace return.
To guarantee that travelers may return home as soon as possible, the airline will run these special services from Fujairah to three Indian cities: Delhi, Mumbai, and Kochi. There will be two flights to Mumbai.
To further normalize connectivity between the United Arab Emirates and India, SpiceJet will also resume its regular flights between Fujairah and Delhi and between Fujairah and Mumbai on March 4.
On Monday, some 357 flights were canceled; however, by the evening, operations started to gradually resume, with stranded Indian planes returning home.
In order to guarantee safe operations, the orderly restoration of services, and the assistance of impacted passengers, the government maintains constant cooperation with airlines, airport operators, regulatory bodies, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) amid the changing Middle East scenario.
Long-haul and ultra-long-haul operations are gradually being resumed by Indian carriers through alternate routes that bypass restricted airspace, as part of calibrated schedule changes. The Civil Aviation Ministry stated that steps are being taken to redeploy aircraft and crew in order to restore operational stability as soon as possible.
Additionally, specific measures are being made to make it easier for stuck people to move. To guarantee safe and orderly passenger movement, airlines are working closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian delegations overseas, deploying additional capacity where needed.
Subject to operational and airspace constraints, foreign carriers are also conducting limited operations between India and the Gulf region. According to the government, passenger safety is still of utmost importance.