There is big relief for Indians stranded in West Asian countries due to the ongoing Iran crisis.
After days of uncertainty, flight services are slowly resuming from Tuesday.
Airspace in many parts of the region was shut after Iran carried out drone attacks in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
This left thousands of passengers, including many Indians, stuck at airports.
Now, airlines are restarting regular and special flights to bring passengers home.
Flights Resume From Abu Dhabi and Dubai
The biggest relief is for passengers stranded in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Airways has restarted flights from Abu Dhabi to Delhi, Kochi, and Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Emirates has announced that from March 3, it will resume flights from Dubai to Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
IndiGo is also operating flights from Jeddah to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, mainly for passengers who had earlier booked tickets.
These announcements come as a major relief for thousands waiting to return home.
Some Flights Still Suspended
While services are resuming in phases, not all routes are open yet.
Akasa Air has suspended flights to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, and Riyadh until March 3.
However, it will begin regular flights between Mumbai and Jeddah from March 3 and also operate flights from Mumbai and Ahmedabad to Jeddah.
Air India Express has restarted services from Muscat.
But its flights to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia remain suspended until March 3.
Air India has canceled all flights to West Asia until midnight today.
However, it confirmed that flights to the US, Canada, Europe, and the UK are operating normally.
Heavy Flight Cancellations in India
The crisis has also affected airports in India.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport, 80 flights were canceled on Tuesday.
This includes 36 departure flights and 44 arrival flights linked to West Asia.
In Bengaluru, 44 flights have been canceled so far.
Overall, 357 flights departing from India were canceled on Monday due to the situation.
Special Flights Announced
Private airline SpiceJet is operating special rescue flights from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
It will run one special flight each to Delhi and Kochi and two flights to Mumbai over the next few days.
From March 4, SpiceJet will also resume its regular services from Fujairah to Delhi and Mumbai.
Meanwhile, limited flights have already resumed from Dubai International Airport, including services to major Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
Why This Happened
The situation in West Asia worsened after a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.
In response, Iran has targeted several countries in the region that host US military bases.
As tensions rose, many countries shut their airspace for safety reasons.
This led to widespread cancellations and travel chaos.
Now, with airspace gradually reopening, airlines are slowly restoring services.
However, passengers are advised to check flight status before leaving for the airport, as schedules may change at short notice.
