New Delhi, March 3: Amid escalating West Asia tensions, the Centre is in touch with Indian missions in the Gulf region to ensure the safe return of stranded Indian nationals as state governments across the country stepped up efforts to assist such residents.
Flight operations have been disrupted due to the closure of airspaces in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
Asserting that it was closely monitoring the evolving airspace situation in parts of the region, the civil aviation ministry on Monday evening said IndiGo plans to operate 10 special relief flights from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to various Indian cities on March 3.
“IndiGo has planned 10 special relief operations from Jeddah to India on 3 March to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, subject to required approvals and prevailing airspace conditions. IndiGo is coordinating with the Consulate General of India at Jeddah for passenger facilitation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The airline also confirmed in a social media post that four flights from Jeddah will be operated to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
“As part of our efforts to progressively normalise our operations between Saudi Arabia and India, we will be operating four dedicated flights from Jeddah tomorrow, 3rd March 2026, to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. These flights are being arranged to cater to customers who were already booked on our flights and have been unable to travel due to the prevailing circumstances,” IndiGo said.
Apart from IndiGo, SpiceJet also said on Tuesday it will operate four special flights from Fujairah in the UAE to bring back stranded passengers.
In a statement, SpiceJet said it would operate four special flights to connect Fujairah with Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on Tuesday and for the next few days.
Out of them, two flights would be operated to Mumbai. The airline is also exploring the possibility of operating more special flights, subject to passenger requirements and regulatory approvals.
SpiceJet will restore its scheduled Fujairah-Delhi and Fujairah-Mumbai flights from March 4, the statement said.
On Sunday evening, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which had met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed concern over the safety and security of the large Indian expatriate community in the Gulf nations. The CCS also directed all concerned departments to take necessary and feasible measures to assist Indian nationals affected by the developments.
On Monday, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Centre is fully prepared to bring back Indians stranded in the Gulf region and is in touch with Indian missions abroad to ensure their safety. In a statement, Joshi said discussions have been held with senior officials of the concerned embassies to facilitate the safe return of those affected by the war situation.
