The Indian Embassy in Qatar on Monday thanked Qatar Airways after a flight operated by the airlines from Doha to New Delhi brought home more than 300 stranded Indian passengers. It also said that the airline is planning three flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi.
“We are especially grateful to Qatar Airways for facilitating one urgent case of repatriation of mortal remains (death due to natural causes) of an Indian national and the travel of the affected family on humanitarian grounds. We also thank the volunteers from the Indian community for their assistance to the affected family,” the Indian Embassy’s post on X said.
The development comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, the US and Iran, which has led to massive disruption to air traffic – impacting services to and from destinations in the Persian Gulf.
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The ongoing conflict has paralyzed airports in Dubai and Doha, two of the world’s busiest transit hubs, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and forcing airlines to cancel about 40,000 flights – the biggest disruption to tourism since the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.
Qatar Airways is planning 3 flights
The Indian Embassy in Qatar said Qatar Airways plans to operate 3 flights on Tuesday 10 March to:
Flights from Saudi Arabia
The embassy also said that the option to travel to Saudi Arabia via the Salwa border crossing remains available to those with a valid Saudi visa.
“Several Indians have traveled to Saudi Arabia on flights to India from Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the conflict. The embassy is also handling cases of stranded travelers for Saudi visa applications. We thank the Qatari and Saudi authorities for the same,” the consulate said.
Global airline operational intervention; increase in ticket prices
Airspace closures have disrupted global airline operations and hit aircraft stocks.
Fares between Asia and Europe have soared, while several carriers – including Wizz Air and Lufthansa – have rerouted flights to avoid the region. Meanwhile, Ryanair reported increased demand for short-haul flights as many Europeans choose destinations closer to home during the Easter holiday, Reuters reported on Monday.
Jet fuel prices, the second biggest cost for airlines after labor, have also risen sharply – in some cases doubling since the start of the conflict – adding further financial pressure to carriers.
