Iran crisis: IndiGo plans 4 relief flights from Jeddah on Tuesday, Air India Express to resume Muscat flights

Meanwhile, Tata group carrier Air India Express announced that it will resume scheduled flight operations to and from Muscat in Oman from Tuesday, even as it extended the cancellation of flights to its other West Asian destinations for another day as airspace restrictions in the region remain in place. Other Indian carriers’ flights to and from West Asian cities also stand cancelled for the time being; 357 flights were cancelled on Monday.

While most countries’ airspaces are closed, Oman’s is open, while Saudi Arabia’s is partially open. These airspaces are being used by Air India for many of its European and North American flights, which the carrier said have resumed to all its destinations in the two continents through alternate routings. Air India had cancelled 50 flights to and from Europe and North America on Sunday, and six on Monday. IndiGo’s operations to Europe remain suspended, as per information available on the airline’s website.

“IndiGo has planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on 3 March, 2026 to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India at Jeddah for passenger facilitation,” MoCA had said in a release on Monday evening. Later, IndiGo announced that it will be operating four flights.

MoCA said that special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, with airlines deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement. Foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf region are also undertaking limited operations, subject to operational and airspace considerations.

On Monday, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Dubai-based Emirates operated a few flights–including to India–primarily to transport stranded passengers, even as their regular flight operations remain suspended.

With Israel and the US launching military strikes in Iran on Saturday and Tehran retaliating by targetting neighbouring countries that house American military assets, civil aviation operations in large parts of the region came to a grinding halt, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the region. Flying in conflict zones is a major risk to civil aviation safety and most airlines proactively avoid transiting such regions even when their airspace is available.

According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, 2,014 of 3,990 flights scheduled to arrive at West Asian airports on Sunday were cancelled. The actual number of cancellations is likely higher as some airlines have not updated their schedules to reflect the cancelled flights.

The conflict and the consequent airspace closures have had a cascading impact on flight operations globally, primarily due to the suspension of operations at busy global aviation hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi airports, which operate as massive transit hubs connecting flyers from all over the world. Thousands of passengers have been left stranded, not just at West Asian airports, but also in other regions due to the sudden cancellation of scores of flights.

“The Ministry remains in continuous coordination with airlines, airport operators, regulatory authorities, and the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure safe operations, orderly restoration of services, and facilitation of affected passengers,” MoCA said.

“Passenger safety remains paramount. All airlines have been advised to maintain transparent communication with passengers and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements concerning refunds, rescheduling, and passenger assistance,” the ministry said.