Hundreds of passengers remain stranded across the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted travel in parts of the Gulf region. Authorities and airlines are making efforts to bring affected citizens home.
With the airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman remaining open, Air India and Air India Express said on March 8 that they will continue to operate flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat, which have been assessed as safe for operations.
“Air India maintains regular flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Jeddah and vice versa. Air India Express continues scheduled operations connecting Muscat to Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Kannur as well as services between Jeddah and Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangaluru,” the airlines said.
The airlines also announced that they will operate additional non-scheduled flights on March 8 to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah to bring stranded passengers back to India. Since these flights are primarily intended for stranded travelers, priority will be given to passengers who have existing reservations with either airline.
Additional Air India flights will operate from Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai and vice versa, while Air India Express will operate 30 additional flights between India and cities in the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.
Air India and Air India Express are committed to taking you to your destination and continue operating scheduled flights to/from Jeddah and Muscat that are considered safe for their operations.
Additional non-scheduled flights are planned to operate to and from Abu…
—Air India (@airindia) March 7, 2026
In a post on X, the airlines said flight schedules may change due to the evolving conflict situation in West Asia. Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
Air India also said its flights to Europe and North America operate normally via safe alternative routes.
The following scheduled flights are scheduled to operate on March 8, 2026:
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Scheduled flights that are scheduled to operate on March 8, 2026.
Non-scheduled flights scheduled for March 8
The airlines further advised passengers requiring rebooking or cancellation to submit their requests through the Air India website. For assistance, travelers can contact the airline’s 24×7 customer service at +91-11-69329333 or +91-11-69329999.
Air India Express passengers departing from any station in the UAE can also rebook their flights without additional charges on the airline’s additional commercial services operating from cities in the UAE to destinations across India.
Etihad Airlines
According to its latest notice, Etihad Airways will continue to operate a limited commercial flight schedule from March 6, 2026, with services between Abu Dhabi and several global destinations.
The airline said priority will be given to passengers with existing reservations and advised travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
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The following destinations are scheduled to operate to and from Abu Dhabi between March 6 and 19:
Ahmedabad, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Bangalore, Boston, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Chiang Mai, Chicago, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar (Bali), Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Karachi, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London (Heathrow), Madrid, Malé, Manchester, Manila, Medina, Melbourne, Milan (Malpensa), Moscow (Sheremetyevo), Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York (JFK), Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Prague, Riyadh, Rome, Seoul (Incheon), Seychelles, Singapore, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Taipei, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington and Zurich.
Latest flight schedule
The latest flight schedule for the next few days is available at: https://t.co/GD92B7qTC1
Guests with previous reservations will be accommodated on these flights as soon as possible. Tickets are also available for sale at https://t.co/CWJT5GvRGm.
Guests and… pic.twitter.com/zOXVefM8KR
– Etihad Airways (@etihad) March 7, 2026
“All services remain subject to operational approvals and may be adjusted depending on regional airspace conditions,” the airline said in the notice.
Etihad also said passengers with tickets issued on or before February 28, 2026, with original travel dates through March 21, 2026, can rebook Etihad-operated flights free of charge for travel through May 15, 2026. It added that passengers on all Etihad flights through March 21 can request a refund at http://etihad.com/en/help/refund-form or via from your travel agent.
Emirates
Emirates said on March 8 that it had resumed operations. Here is a list of flights available from the United Arab Emirates to India.
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Available flights from United Arab Emirates to India
Indigo
As of March 8, Indigo in its notice said it will continue to operate flights to 8 destinations in the Middle East.
Travel advice
As the situation in and around the Middle East continues to evolve, we understand that many customers are still waiting to reach the places and people that matter most to them.
On March 8, 2026, our planned operations are as follows:
• We are pleased… pic.twitter.com/3UgqQp6fHV
– IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) March 7, 2026
The airline also added that it will restart operations to Europe. “We are pleased to restart our operations in Europe, reconnecting customers to key destinations across the region.”
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways said it will only continue limited flight operations to Doha.
The airlines will operate the following flights to Hamad International Airport on March 8: Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO) and Bangkok (BKK). These flights are only for passengers whose final destination is Doha.
