This was the first repatriation flight by an Indian carrier to bring back passengers from West Asia amid the ongoing conflict. IndiGo has also announced that it will operate four dedicated flights starting March 3 from Jeddah to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad
Air India on Tuesday brought back 149 Indian passengers who were stranded in the West Asia for days since the conflict between Iran, Israel and the US. The flight, AI916D, arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi at 10:58 am.
This was the first repatriation flight by an Indian carrier to bring back passengers from West Asia amid the ongoing conflict. “Our Operations Control Centre and supporting teams have been working around the clock to facilitate these flights in extraordinary circumstances, ensuring seamless coordination throughout,” Air India said in a statement.
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While flight operations were completely shut off after West Asian countries began closing their airspace since Saturday, as the US and Israel attacked Iran, the situation has improved a little after airlines like Emirates, flydubai and Etihad started operating some special flights from Monday.
Special relief flights deployed
On Monday, IndiGo announced that it will operate four dedicated flights starting March 3 from Jeddah to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
Similarly, Akasa Air and SpiceJet will also ply additional flights from today to bring back Indian passengers from the region. SpiceJet has also announced that it will resume scheduled flights between Fujairah and Delhi and between Fujairah and Mumbai starting March 4.
Air India has also offered passengers who booked flights to West Asian destinations on or before 28 February 2026 a full refund for their tickets. Also, passengers will be able to reschedule their flights at no additional cost.
The first passenger flight took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday after Iran distanced itself from recent missile and drone strikes across the Gulf, as Etihad Airways resumed limited operations from Zayed International Airport.
Flight cancellations
At the same time, IndiGo on Tuesday cancelled 43 flights to and from West Asia. Similarly, SpiceJet has also cancelled several West Asia-bound flights on March 3.
Etihad Airways said, “All Etihad’s scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 UAE time on Wednesday 4 March.”
In the early hours of February 28, airstrikes and military operations were launched against multiple cities in Iran. Iran responded with retaliatory attacks across the region, striking targets in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
As tensions escalated, authorities in several locations shut down airports and closed airspace as a precautionary measure. The abrupt suspension of flights caused widespread travel disruptions, leaving many passengers awaiting further updates.
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