IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights to Jeddah, Air India Express restarts Oman services

IndiGo will operate 10 relief flights to Jeddah, while Air India Express resumes Oman services amid Gulf flight disruptions.

Amid continued flight disruptions to the Gulf region, IndiGo will operate 10 special relief flights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to India on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Air India Express will also resume services to Muscat, Oman, operating six flights from various Indian cities.

The United Arab Emirates’ civil aviation regulator also announced “exceptional flights” from Monday (March 2, 2026) evening to repatriate stranded passengers, prompting Dubai and Abu Dhabi-based airlines to restart a limited number of flights.

“Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers. Airlines are deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement,” the Ministry said after a review meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and attended by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and senior officials.

Air India Express will resume flights to and from Muscat starting Tuesday (March 3, 2026), with scheduled services to Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli. However, its operations to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain suspended until 11:59 p.m. IST on March 3. Indian airlines cancelled 357 flights to the Gulf region on Monday (March 2, 2026), following 350 cancellations on Sunday (March 1, 2026). Foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf were also expected to conduct limited services.

“The General Civil Aviation Authority has announced the commencement of exceptional flight operations at UAE airports, enabling stranded passengers affected by the recent regional developments to depart,” the UAE’s aviation regulator said in a post on X.

Dubai-based Emirates and Flydubai, along with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, announced a limited resumption of flights, while advising passengers not to proceed to airports unless contacted by the airlines.