US-Iran war: Air India to operate 32 special flights; IndiGo and Etihad resume ops | UAE flight updates

In a significant relief for passengers stranded across the UAE, airlines are gradually restoring connectivity to select destinations. Air travel between the UAE and India has begun to stabilise, with major carriers such as Air India, Air India Express, and IndiGo announcing scheduled services and special relief flights to bring back home the stranded passengers. 

Air India and Air India Express will together operate 24 scheduled flights to Jeddah and Muscat on March 9. Air India is set to operate 32 special flights on Monday. 

To support passengers stranded in the region, two carriers will operate an additional 32 flights to and from multiple points in the UAE, a statement read on Saturday. 

"We are closely monitoring developments and will provide further updates as the situation evolves," Air India said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, scheduled flights to other Middle East regions, including Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Kuwait and Riyadh, remain cancelled until March 13. 

On Sunday, Air India announced that the airline will deploy 78 additional flights to five destinations across the United States and Europe. 

The Dubai airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the region, saw a temporary suspension of operations last week and is slowly resuming its flights. 

SpiceJet is slated to operate at least three flights from Dubai and Fujairah to India on Monday. 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that at least 50 flights were expected to be operated by Indian airlines. 

On March 8, Indian carriers- including Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, Akasa and IndiGo- planned 49 inbound flights from airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, as well as Muscat and Jeddah.