Air India trims UAE operations, plans 32 West Asia flights on Sunday
The airline says 12 of the 32 flights will be non-scheduled services to and from the UAE, subject to slot availability and prevailing operational conditions
Air India Group will operate 32 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on Sunday, marking a slight scale-down in operations, with fewer ad hoc services planned for the United Arab Emirates compared to previous days.
The airline said 12 of the 32 flights will be non-scheduled services to and from the UAE, subject to slot availability and prevailing operational conditions. These flights are being operated with approvals from Indian authorities and UAE regulators.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will continue to be served through ad hoc operations. Air India will operate a Delhi-Dubai service, while Air India Express will connect Mangalore to Dubai. Abu Dhabi will see Air India Express flights from Delhi and Kochi, while Sharjah will be linked to Amritsar and Kannur.
No flights are planned for Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.
In Oman, scheduled operations will continue on the Muscat route, with Air India Express running services from Delhi, Kannur, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. Salalah remains suspended.
Saudi Arabia will see partial continuity, with scheduled flights to Jeddah operated by Air India from Delhi and Mumbai, and by Air India Express from Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangalore. Riyadh will have a scheduled Air India service from Delhi, while Dammam remains without operations.
Flights to Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait and Tel Aviv continue to remain suspended.
Air India said its long-haul flights to North America, Europe and Australia are operating as per schedule, with disruptions confined to West Asia routes.
Passengers affected by cancellations have been offered free rebooking or full refunds. Air India Express has also enabled UAE-bound passengers to shift to alternative flights within its network without additional charges.
The airline said it is proactively reaching out to affected passengers through registered mobile numbers to provide rebooking options, and advised travellers to ensure their contact details are updated to receive timely notifications.
Meanwhile, IndiGo said that on Sunday, they are operating select flights to/from the Middle East. "Flight schedules are being reviewed on an ongoing basis in coordination with the relevant authorities," said the airline.
