Indian airlines cancel 278 int'l flights; scheduled to operate 96 services to Middle East on Fri

New Delhi: Domestic airlines are scheduled to operate 96 flights to and from the Middle East on Friday while the carriers have cancelled 278 international services for the day, the government said on Friday amid the conflict in the region.

The situation in the Middle East has disrupted flight operations as there are restrictions as well as closure of airspaces. Some airlines have commenced limited operations to and from the region, where the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has escalated in the last few days.

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The civil aviation ministry on Friday said due to the ongoing developments in West Asia and the resulting airspace restrictions, flight operations have been impacted across several sectors.

"A total of 96 flight operations were scheduled today by Indian domestic carriers to and from destinations in the Middle East. As of 6 March, 278 flights scheduled to be operated today by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled," it said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, officials said more than 140 international flights were cancelled in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata airports on Friday due to the Middle East crisis.

They said at least 142 flights were cancelled at the four airports, with 39 departures and 34 arrivals cancelled at the Mumbai airport.

While the total flight cancellations at the Bangalore airport were 33, including 15 departures and 18 arrivals, at the Delhi airport 15 departures and 14 arrivals were cancelled.

A total of seven flights -- four departures and three arrivals -- have been cancelled at the Kolkata airport, according to the officials.

Akasa Air said it would operate the Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai flight on Friday.

The airline, on Saturday, would operate flights from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kochi to Jeddah, it said in a post on X.

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SpiceJet said it will operate 14 special flights from the UAE to bring back stranded passengers.

With the airspaces over Saudi Arabia and Oman remaining open and assessed as safe for operations, Air India and Air India Express have resumed services to and from Jeddah and Muscat, Air India said in a statement on Thursday.

Air India group's scheduled operations to and from other points in West Asia have been suspended until March 10 due to the continuing airspace closures over multiple other countries in the West Asia.

Meanwhile, the ministry has advised passengers to keep a close watch on the latest flight updates and remain attentive to communication shared by their respective airlines through registered contact details.

The Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR), at the ministry, is coordinating with airlines and other stakeholders to address issues.

"So far, 1,881 passenger grievances have been addressed through AirSewa, social media platforms and helpline calls," the ministry said in the statement.

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