Air India and Air India Express will continue operating scheduled flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat after airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman reopened, even as airspace closures in other parts of West Asia continue to disrupt operations.
In a statement, the airlines stated that the scheduled commercial flights to several affected destinations in the region remain suspended until further notice. To assist passengers stranded due to the disruption, both carriers are operating additional non-scheduled commercial flights on March 7 after obtaining the required clearances from Indian and local authorities.
Air India Express will operate 43 flights across the region on March 7, with the two airlines together connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah with major Indian cities.
Flights scheduled to operate include services between India and Muscat in Oman and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The airlines will also operate additional non-scheduled flights on March 7, primarily for passengers stranded in the region. Priority will be given to travelers holding existing bookings with either carrier.
Rebooking and assistance
Air India informed that passengers who have booked to travel from any point in West Asia with tickets issued until March 4, 2026, and with original travel dates between February 28 and March 8, 2026, can rebook their flights to India within one month of the originally intended travel date without additional charges or fare difference.
Air India passengers can raise rebooking or cancellation requests on the airline’s website or contact the 24-hour customer support hotline. Passengers booked to travel from any station in the UAE can rebook without additional charges on the airline’s additional commercial flights operating from any UAE station to any destination in India.
‘Example: A guest with an active booking on a cancelled Dubai-Jaipur flight can now move their booking to a Ras Al Khaimah – Delhi flight at no extra cost’, it stated.
The airlines said they are proactively reaching out to affected passengers through registered mobile numbers with rebooking options and advised travelers to ensure their contact details are updated. Air India Express passengers can also rebook flights through the airline’s AI-powered digital assistant Tia available on WhatsApp.
More Air India flights under consideration
The Air India group said it is exploring opportunities to operate additional ad-hoc flights to and from West Asia to assist stranded passengers. Meanwhile, Air India’s services to Europe, including the United Kingdom, and North America have been operating as scheduled since March 2 on alternative routes. Due to extended routing, flights from India to North America are making technical stops at Rome (Fiumicino) or Vienna before continuing to their destinations.
Routes still suspended
Despite the partial resumption of services, several routes operated by Air India and Air India Express remain suspended until further notice. These include multiple connections from the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar to Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli and others. The airlines said the suspensions will remain in place until airspace restrictions in the region are fully lifted.
