Air India Maintains Limited West Asia Operations with 30 Flights Amid Route Restrictions

New Delhi, March 2026 : The Air India group, including Air India Express, will operate a total of 30 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on March 23, even as services on several routes remain restricted due to operational considerations.

According to an official statement, both airlines will continue their regular services to Jeddah, with a total of 10 flights connecting Indian cities to the Saudi destination. Air India will operate one return flight each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will connect Bengaluru, Kozhikode, and Mangaluru to Jeddah.

In addition to Jeddah operations, Air India Express will run four scheduled flights to and from Muscat, covering routes from Delhi and Mumbai. It will also operate four scheduled flights between India and Riyadh, linking Bengaluru and Kozhikode with the Saudi capital.

Beyond regular schedules, the Air India group plans to operate 12 non-scheduled (ad hoc) flights to destinations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, subject to slot availability and operational feasibility. These services have received the necessary approvals from Indian and local aviation authorities.

Among UAE destinations, special flights will be operated to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Air India will connect Delhi with Dubai, while Air India Express will run services between Delhi and Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, and between Mangaluru and Sharjah.

However, the airline group confirmed that there will be no scheduled or additional operations to certain destinations, including Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain in the UAE, Salalah in Oman, Dammam in Saudi Arabia, as well as Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, and Tel Aviv.

Despite these regional limitations, Air India’s long-haul international operations to North America, Europe, Australia, and other global destinations will continue without disruption.

To assist affected passengers, the airline has offered flexible options, including free rescheduling or full refunds for bookings on temporarily suspended routes. Travelers have been advised to use the airline’s official website or customer support services for assistance.

Air India Express has also introduced rebooking options, especially for passengers traveling from UAE locations, allowing them to shift to alternative commercial flights without additional charges. A WhatsApp-based digital assistant has been enabled to streamline the rebooking process.

The airline group stated that it is proactively reaching out to impacted passengers and is exploring the possibility of adding more ad hoc flights to West Asia, depending on evolving operational conditions.