SpiceJet is operating six special flights to support and bring back stranded Indians traveling home from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi as the US-Israeli-Iran clashes continue and Tehran targets US military bases in Dubai and other parts of the country in the Middle East.
The decision to operate special flights from Fujairah to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi comes as airline operations have ground to a halt due to airspace closures in the Middle East amid an escalating conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. Flight Status LIVE March 3 Catch Here
Flights include SG 9072 from Fujairah to Delhi on March 3 departing at 11.10pm and arriving at 4.10am; SG 9031 from Fujairah to Mumbai on March 3 departing at 23:00 and arriving at 3:30 and the next flight on the same day is to Kochi departing at 22:10 and arriving at 3:20.
Other flights include SG 9014 from Fujairah to Mumbai on March 4, departing at 1.55am and arriving at 6.25am; SG 9006 from Fujairah to Delhi on the same day departs at 11:10 and arrives at 16:40 and SG 9014 to Mumbai the next day, March 5, departing at 1:55 and arriving at 6:25.
The airline is also exploring the possibility of operating special flights, subject to passenger requirements and regulatory approvals. Also read | What separates world-class nations from rest: Stranded Indian passenger praises UAE’s response to flight cancellations
In a statement, SpiceJet said: “SpiceJet is operating special flights from Fujairah to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi to support Indian citizens traveling home. Get ready when it matters! Jai Hind.”
Meanwhile, the evacuation cell of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday (March 3) that a small number of flights departed from Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central International Airport after the UAE partially reopened airspace under restricted corridors and that access was strictly controlled.
While scheduled services remained suspended, the State Department said a small number of inbound and outbound flights were allowed to resume operations on Monday evening.
The statement said: “Several flights have now departed from DXB/OMDB (Dubai International Airport) and DWC/OMDW (Dubai World Central International Airport). Although the airports are no longer fully closed, they are not yet fully open to the public.”
It said: “Access is tightly controlled and regular scheduled services remain severely disrupted. A small number of arrivals and departures were allowed to begin operations on the evening of March 2. UAE airspace has partially reopened under restricted corridors, but much of the surrounding regional airspace remains closed or highly unstable.”
