US-Iran conflict affects flights Highlights: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Sunday that as of March 1, 444 flights by domestic carriers are expected to be canceled due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East.
In a post on the X social media platform, the ministry said 410 flights were canceled on Saturday.
- Major airports remain on operational alert to handle potential diversions and ensure seamless facilitation for passengers.
- “Passenger assistance, airline coordination and terminal crowd management are being closely monitored, with senior officials deployed on the ground,” he added.
Emirates Information Alert: What are your options for flights until March 5?
Emirates said passengers with tickets for flights before or on March 5 have the following options:
IndiGo is offering a full refund to passengers
IndiGo Airlines on Sunday said customers can opt for a full refund or rescheduling till March 7, 2026 for bookings made till February 28, 2026 at no extra cost.
Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways extend flight suspensions
Gulf airlines, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, have extended their service suspensions due to retaliatory strikes from Iran, Bloomberg reported.
- Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has suspended services indefinitely.
- Etihad has extended the cancellation of flight services until 2:00 am (3:30 am IST) on March 2.
- Qatar Airways has suspended services and is expected to give an update at 9:00 AM (10:30 IST) on Monday.
Air India cancels 50 flights on Sunday — See full list
Full-fledged airline Air India said on Sunday that it has so far canceled 50 international flights due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Scheduled operations of the following flights have been affected and canceled for the day, according to the Tata Group-owned airline:
- AI191/AI144: Mumbai-Newark / Newark – Mumbai,
- AI127/AI126: Delhi-Chicago / Chicago-Delhi (via Vienna),
- AI187/AI188 and AI189 and AI190: Delhi-Toronto / Toronto-Delhi (via Vienna),
- AI2025/AI2026: Delhi-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Delhi,
- AI2027/AI2028: Mumbai-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Mumbai,
- AI143/AI142 and AI147/AI148: Delhi-Paris / Paris-Delhi.
IndiGo says airspace closure in Middle East extended
In a post on X, domestic carrier IndiGo said that amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, “the temporary suspension of selected international flights that use Middle East airspace has been extended until March 2, 2026, 23:59 hrs (or 23:59) IST.”
- Another PTI report added that as many as 26 international flights from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Limited (TIAL) to various Gulf countries were canceled on Sunday.
- And six more flights to various destinations in the Persian Gulf from Kannur International Airport on Sunday were also cancelled, authorities said.
- At Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), 35 flights to the Gulf region have been canceled as per the schedule published on the official website.
- About 10 flights to the Gulf region were canceled at the Calicut International Airport, officials said.
Airspace closed, flights cancelled: Latest updates
Several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, closed their airspace after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, AFP reported.
- Lufthansa Group (including Swiss and ITA Airways): canceled its flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7. Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been canceled until Sunday.
- Algerian carrier Air Algerie: suspension of Saturday flights to Amman, Dubai and Doha.
- Finnair: suspended daily flights to Dubai and Doha until March 6.
- Norwegian: suspension of flights to and from Dubai up to and including March 4.
- Wizz Air: The Hungarian low-cost carrier suspended “all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up to and including March 7” and canceled flights to Saudi Arabia until March 2.
- Garuda Indonesia: Indonesia’s flag carrier has temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice”, the company said in a statement on Sunday.
India extends visa for stranded foreign travellers
In an advisory on Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asked foreigners in the country to contact the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) if they need help in extending their visas or need to legalize their stay.
It was not immediately clear how many foreign tourists were stranded in India due to the flight cancellation, PTI reported.
(With input from agencies)
