Air India Group has announced that Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 22 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from Jeddah, Riyadh, among other regions in West Asia on Friday, March 27 amid the Israel-US conflict with Iran.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Tata Group-owned airline said Air India will operate the following flights:
- Four flights between India and Jeddah- Two flights from Delhi, two flights from Mumbai
- It will also operate two flights between Mumbai and Riyadh
Meanwhile, Air India Express will operate four flights to and from Muscat and Riyadh:
- Muscat services will include two flights from Delhi and two from Mumbai
- Riyadh services will include two flights from Bengaluru and two flights from Kozhikode.
Additional flights to connect with which cities?
Apart from scheduled routes, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of eight non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an Air India group statement said.
These flights will connect Dubai, Abu Dhabi with Mumbai, Delhi.
“These flights are subject to availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time. These flights are operated with required permissions from relevant Indian and local regulatory authorities,” the statement on non-scheduled flights said.
Refunds, cancellation options
Passengers booked on routes where Air India services are temporarily suspended can rebook their journey for a later date at no additional cost or opt for a full refund.
Those flying with Air India Express from any station in the UAE can conveniently rebook their flights at no additional charge to other commercial Air India Express flights operating from any station in the UAE to any destination in India, an Air India statement said.
Conflict between Israel, USA and Iran
The development of the flight schedules comes amid the ongoing Israel-US-Iran conflict, which has also brought Gulf countries to the brink – and shows no sign of easing.
Here you can follow the latest updates from the conflict in West Asia
On Thursday, an Israeli official reportedly claimed that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri was killed in an attack in Bandar Abbas. Tangsiri “was responsible for closing the Strait of Horm”, the official was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.
A naval drone struck a Turkish oil tanker leaving Russia earlier in the day, triggering an explosion in the Black Sea near Istanbul’s Bosphorus on Thursday, according to Turkey’s transport minister, Reuters reported.
