The airspace in West Asia has been affected by the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel and Iran. Thousands of passengers were stranded across the Gulf region, with many forced to use longer and more expensive routes to reach operating airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium Ltd. show that more than half of the 51,600 flights scheduled to or from the Middle East since February 28 have been canceled.
In a travel advisory, IndiGo said it will operate flights to five destinations in West Asia on Saturday despite the tense situation in the region. According to the notification, the airline will operate flights to Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, Sharjah International Airport, RAF Akrotiri and Fujairah International Airport. The airline will also operate return flights from these West Asian cities to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, facilitating the return of Indian nationals.
“To support customers during this time, subject to prevailing safety conditions and applicable regulatory approvals, IndiGo will operate flights to five destinations in the Middle East as detailed below on March 7, 2026. Our teams remain by your side and are doing everything we can to help you continue your journey, keeping the safety and well-being of our customers and crew at the heart of every decision we make,” the travel statement said. recommendations.
IndiGo has also offered a one-month window for free cancellations and rescheduling till March 31.
Meanwhile, Emirates announced it had resumed operations. It said: “Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights can continue to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai if their connecting flight is also in operation.”
Annulment
Singapore Airlines said flights to and from Dubai are canceled until March 15. Korean Air said flights to Dubai are suspended until March 8, according to Bloomberg.
Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest airline, has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad until early morning arrivals on March 13. Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been suspended until evening arrivals on 12 March, while services to Riyadh and Jeddah remain suspended until early morning arrivals on 9 March.
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airBaltic said all its flights to and from Tel Aviv were canceled until March 9. The airline has also canceled all flights to and from Dubai until March 8, including the Dubai-Riga flight scheduled for March 9.
Air Canada has also suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv, with plans to resume operations on March 23.
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Extra flights
Meanwhile, Air India said additional non-scheduled flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah are scheduled today to ferry stranded passengers back to India.
Air India said it was also considering operating additional flights after March 11 in response to rising demand and the suspension of services by several Middle Eastern carriers.
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SpiceJet said it continues to operate numerous special flights from Dubai (Fujairah) to India to support passenger travel.
The conflict in West Asia, which began with joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28 and resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has now entered its eighth day. Tehran responded by attacking Israel and targeting US military bases in several West Asian countries.
