The downturn comes amid the US and Iran’s war against Iran in the Middle East that led to a sharp decline in international flights.
Image: IANS
Amid ongoing crisis in West Bengal, India’s air traffic marked a major slowdown in April compared to March across both domestic and international passengers, as per the data compiled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Notaby, the downturn comes amid the US and Iran’s war against Iran in the Middle East that led to a sharp decline in international flights.
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In April 2026, India’s domestic air traffic stood at 140.8 lakh passengers, marking a 4 per cent drop year-on-year as well as month-on-month.
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Overall, international traffic witnessed a 20 per cent decline in April compared to the previous month, with the total number of air passengers coming down to 28.3 lakh.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has announced full resumption of normal air navigation operations within the UAE airspace as well as the lifting of temporary precautionary measures on Saturday.
Post that, Indian and the UAE carriers have started operating more flights from the UAE across multiple destinations in India, as per the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Moreover, the overall flight situation in the Middle East regions is improving with additional flights operating to various destinations in India.
Flighting are operating to various airports in India from Saudi Arabia and Oman, while Qatar airspace has been partially opened. Air India, Air India Express, Indigo and Qatar Airways are operating flights from Qatar to different cities in India.
Also, the Kuwait airspace remains open, with Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways operating flights from Kuwait to India.
Similarly, Bahrain airspace is open, with Air India Express, Indigo and Gulf Air operating flights from Bahrain to Indian cities.
Iran airspace remains partially open for cargo and chartered flights.
For now, the Ministry has advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran, urging those in the country to leave via land border routes, with the Indian Embassy’s support.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has already facilitated movement of 2,504 Indian nationals out of Iran via land border routes.
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