Air India plane arrives in Delhi with first batch of passengers from Dubai

In a significant development amid the ongoing West Asia situation, Air India on Tuesday welcomed passengers and crew arriving from Dubai onboard Flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

This marked the first international arrival by an Indian carrier into the national capital today, carrying 149 passengers and eight operating crew members, the airline said.

In the Air India Newsroom's X post, it said, "We are happy to welcome our guests and crew from Dubai aboard flight AI916D. This is the first flight by an Indian carrier to arrive in New Delhi today with 149 passengers and 8 operating crew members onboard, amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East. "

The Airline expressed gratitude to its teams and authorities, stating, "A heartfelt thank you to our teams, the Government of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the local authorities in Dubai for their continued cooperation and for making this homecoming possible."

Meanwhile, Dubai Airports confirmed that a limited resumption of operations would begin on the evening of March 2 (Monday), with a small number of flights permitted to operate from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

With flights gradually taking to the skies once again, normalcy is slowly returning to the UAE, and for the thousands of Indians eager to get home, the wait is finally coming to an end.

However, authorities urged caution. Travellers have been advised not to proceed to DXB or DWC unless they have been contacted directly by their airline with a confirmed departure time.

Following the US-Israel strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran launched a wave of retaliatory attacks, using drones and missiles targeting multiple Arab countries in the region as a retaliatory action, which resulted in flight cancellations.