Air India to resume services to Middle East from Tuesday

Air India has informed that it is progressively resuming its services to the Middle East from Tuesday as certain airspaces in the Middle East began to reopen following a temporary suspension in the wake of escalating regional tensions.

The airline said most of its operations to and from West Asia are being restored from Tuesday.

Advertisement

“As airspaces gradually reopen in certain parts of the Middle East, Air India will progressively resume flights to the region starting today, with most operations to and from the Middle East resuming from 25 June. Flights to and from Europe, previously cancelled, are also being progressively reinstated from today, while services to and from the East Coast of the US and Canada will resume at the earliest opportunity,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson further said that some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings/flight times, but “we are committed to minimising disruptions and restoring our schedule integrity”.

“Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time. We will keep passengers informed of any updates and sincerely appreciate their understanding. The safety and security of our passengers, staff, and aircraft remain our top priority,” the spokesperson further said in the statement.

Air India had suspended all flights operating over Middle Eastern airspace after Iran launched missile strikes on the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts US military forces.

The attack led to temporary closure of Qatari airspace — a vital transit corridor for Indian aviation, especially for flights connecting Europe, West Asia, and Africa.

In response to the escalation, the airline had also halted services to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe.

Several India-bound flights from North America had to be diverted back to their departure points or re-routed to avoid unsafe airspaces.

Passengers were urged to bear with the temporary disruption, which the airline described as being beyond its control.