Indian airlines ramp up West Asia and global flights as curbs ease

Indian airlines are adding capacity to West Asia, Europe and North America, operating additional and special flights as airspace restrictions ease after recent military strikes in the region

Indian airlines are stepping up flights to West Asia, Europe and North America in a calibrated manner, adding capacity and operating special services as airspace restrictions across parts of West Asia begin to ease after last weekend’s military strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran and subsequent retaliatory action.

 

Air India on Wednesday said it is deploying additional capacity to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) “in response to high demand amid the ongoing situation in West Asia”. Between Thursday and March 11, it will operate three additional flights between Delhi and Toronto. From March 7 to 10, it has added three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt and one additional service between Delhi and Paris.

 

The airline said the flights will provide more options to travellers, including onward connections from Delhi to its domestic and southeast Asia network, and added that it may add flights beyond March 11 after reviewing the situation.

 

Air India Express said it will continue operating flights to and from Muscat on Thursday, along with additional services between Muscat and Delhi and Mumbai. It is also operating special flights from Ras Al Khaimah connecting Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai until March 7.

 

IndiGo said flights earlier announced to Athens, Muscat, Jeddah and Medina, along with select repatriation services to the UAE, “have now commenced operations as we gradually restore connectivity on the impacted routes”. It added that, subject to approvals, it would seek to increase repatriation frequencies to the UAE from Thursday.

 

SpiceJet will operate eight special flights from Fujairah in the UAE on Wednesday -- four to Delhi, three to Mumbai and one to Kochi -- after operating four such services on Tuesday.

 

Akasa Air said it is reinstating select flights following a safety review. On Wednesday and Thursday, it will operate services between Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru and Jeddah, as well as a flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai to facilitate the return of passengers and crew. However, its flights to and from Doha, Kuwait, and Riyadh will remain suspended until Thursday, subject to prevailing conditions.