With large swathes of Middle-East airspace still restricted because of the Iran–Israel conflict, India’s flag-carrier group has assembled an emergency schedule of 58 flights linking India with the Gulf on 12 March. According to a late-night operational notice reviewed by The Economic Times, the programme combines regular services with 40 ad-hoc rotations cleared by Indian and Gulf regulators. Air India will operate 18 scheduled departures and a special Mumbai–Riyadh–Mumbai turnaround, while Air India Express will run 39 services, including an extra Kozhikode–Riyadh flight and eight Muscat connections. Additional capacity is concentrated on the UAE, where slots have been secured at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah to absorb pent-up demand from business travellers and overseas workers who were left stranded when carriers suspended services last week. The Tata-owned group said its wider long-haul network remains intact, but it has authorised full refunds or free date changes for passengers affected by earlier cancellations. Travel managers are being advised to monitor the dynamic roster because further pop-up flights could be added “subject to aircraft and crew availability.” Corporate mobility teams welcomed the move. “Every extra seat eases pressure on supply chains and project timelines in the Gulf,” noted Rahul Pillai, CEO of Interem Relocations. However, he cautioned that fares remain volatile because airlines are flying longer routings that skirt conflict zones, increasing fuel and crew costs. Air India has already announced a temporary fuel surcharge of up to $90 on some international sectors beginning 12 March. For expatriate Indians returning after Holi and corporate assignees rotating into West Asia, the message is clear: reconfirm tickets, keep contingency budgets ready, and use the airline’s 24×7 hotlines for rebooking if geo-political conditions shift again.
Source: The Economic Times
