The partial reopening of the UAE Flight Information Region, the designated airspace managed by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), together with the operational Omani airspace and the Jeddah Flight Information Region, which covers the western airspace of Saudi Arabia, has offered respite to stranded passengers in West Asia, with airways working particular providers with navy approval. Kerala obtained over a dozen flights from totally different areas in West Asia, primarily carrying stranded passengers. SpiceJet additionally introduced particular flights to key cities in India from Fujairah, together with to Kochi on Tuesday.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior Air India supply confirmed that the airline has obtained permission to function particular flights on a case-by-case foundation with navy approval. The airline operated the primary Indian service flight from Dubai to New Delhi amid the continuing disaster, bringing again 149 stranded passengers. It has additionally obtained approval to function flights from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. These will not be scheduled business providers, however particular flights operated with prior navy approval from the respective nations.
Full-fledged operations
However, Air India Express has introduced that it resumed full-fledged flight operations to and from Muscat on Tuesday. An Air Arabia flight (3L132D) from Thiruvananthapuram to Abu Dhabi additionally departed at 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an Emirates flight (EK 569) from Bengaluru to Dubai, which departed at 4.30 a.m. on Tuesday with 56 passengers on board, returned attributable to airspace restrictions. Flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia stay suspended for many elements of the day owing to airspace closures.
According to airline sources, the Muscat Flight Information Region stays largely unaffected by the regional turbulence, and flights from Kerala and different elements of India can immediately enter Muscat airspace after crossing the Arabian Sea. Similarly, flights to Saudi Arabia are working by avoiding UAE airspace and immediately getting into the Jeddah airspace after a slight deviation by way of Goa from Mangaluru. Calicut International Airportdealt with eight flights to Muscat, Riyadh, and Kuala Lumpur till Tuesday midday and has scheduled two extra flights. An Oman Air flight from Muscat to Thiruvananthapuram additionally operated as scheduled.
The major focus of the particular providers to the UAE and the scheduled flights to Muscat and Saudi Arabia is to facilitate the motion of stranded passengers. A big variety of passengers from affected areas, primarily the UAE, are additionally reaching Muscat by street to journey onward to totally different locations. It stays unclear when the airspaces will totally reopen for normal scheduled providers because of the persevering with battle in West Asia. Airlines can’t take dangers independently as airspace closures might invalidate insurance coverage protection within the occasion of an incident, sources stated.
Published – March 03, 2026 07:42 pm IST
