Amid the ongoing Israel-US-Iran conflict that has brought several Gulf countries to the brink and disrupted air travel to and from Middle Eastern cities, several airlines on Friday stepped up assistance to affected passengers. IndiGo offered a month-long window for free cancellations and rescheduling until March 31, while SpiceJet announced 14 special flights from Fujairah and Dubai to help bring stranded Indian nationals back home.
Here’s a full list of airlines that have either offered refunds or the option to reschedule your travel dates without any fees.
Which airlines pay refunds?
— Indigo: The budget carrier issued an announcement on its social media, offering full refunds for canceled trips to the Middle East and Istanbul and back until March 31, 2026.
Here you can track all the latest flight status updates
— Air India: The Tata Group-owned airline is offering passengers with confirmed bookings made by February 28, 2026 to reschedule their trip for free or receive a full refund in the event of cancellation. Offer applies to flights to and from the Middle East, UK and Europe for travel scheduled until 10 March 2026.
– Emirates: In a travel advisory on Thursday, the airline confirmed that passengers booked between February 28 and March 31 have until April 30 to rebook their flights or request a refund if they do not want to travel.
– Etihad Airways has announced that passengers with tickets issued on or before February 28, 2026 with an original travel date of March 10, 2026 can rebook for free until March 31.
– Qatar Airways has announced that passengers with confirmed bookings for travel between 28 February and 10 March 2026 are entitled to a free date change up to 14 days from the original date of travel or a refund of the unused value of their ticket.
How to request a refund?
All passengers must visit the official websites of the respective airlines to claim the refund.
For example, if you want to make a claim from Emirates, customers who booked directly through the airline’s website can submit a refund request through the platform. Meanwhile, those who booked through travel agents were advised to contact their agents.
Which airlines have launched special flights?
Amid widespread travel disruptions, airlines such as Air India and SpiceJet have announced that additional flights have been deployed.
Spice Jet: According to a SpiceJet press release, SpiceJet will operate 14 special flights from the UAE on March 6 to facilitate the return of stranded Indian nationals.
– Of the 14 flights, 13 will operate from Fujairah and one from Dubai.
– The airline will operate nine special flights from Fujairah to Mumbai, four special flights from Fujairah to Delhi and one special flight from Dubai to Pune, the airline said in a statement.
Air India: The Tata Group-owned airline said it is deploying additional capacity on select long-haul routes to meet increased demand due to the evolving situation in West Asia.
– From March 5 to 11, the airline is operating 3 additional flights between Delhi and Toronto.
– Three AI flights between Delhi and Frankfurt and one flight between Delhi and Paris (CDG – Charles de Gaulle) are operating from March 7 to 10.
