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West Asia Flights Cut: Stranded Passengers Await Return
6 Mar
Summary
- Indian carriers operate limited flights, primarily for stranded passengers.
- Major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh remain closed for regular flights.
- Over 281 flights were cancelled on Thursday due to the situation.
Indian airlines are currently operating a restricted flight schedule from West Asia, with the primary objective of bringing stranded passengers back to India. The ongoing conflict has led to the closure of major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh for regular commercial flights, resulting in a substantial number of flight cancellations. On Thursday, data indicated that Indian carriers cancelled a total of 281 flights.
Despite the widespread cancellations, Emirates has announced the resumption of a reduced flight schedule, operating over 100 flights on March 5-6. This marks the first time the airline has operated flights since air strikes occurred on February 28. Budget carrier Akasa Air is also running special flights from the UAE to assist passengers and crew. IndiGo, which had previously cancelled over 500 flights, is now operating a limited schedule, as is SpiceJet, which announced 13 special flights from the UAE for Thursday. The overall number of international flights departing from India has seen a dramatic decrease, with only 382 flights operating on Wednesday. The West Asia region represents a significant portion of the international network for Indian carriers, accounting for approximately 35% of their total deployed seats.
