 (6).png)
1 hour ago
1
ARTICLE AD BOX
Air India and IndiGo release April 6 travel advisory with limited UAE flights, selective Middle East operations, and flexible rebooking options for passengers.
On 6 April 2026, as Air India and Air India Express announce a mix of scheduled and ad hoc services, while IndiGo signals selective operations to the Middle EastAir travel between India and key West Asian hubs is set to operate under a revised schedule on 6 April 2026, as Air India and Air India Express announce a mix of scheduled and ad hoc services, while IndiGo signals selective operations to the Middle East. The advisory comes amid evolving operational constraints, prompting airlines to emphasise flexibility, passenger communication, and safety.
Air India Limited UAE Operations with Expanded Ad Hoc Flights
Air India and Air India Express will together operate 30 flights to and from the West Asia region on 6 April, combining scheduled and non-scheduled services. Notably, 10 of these will be ad hoc flights to the United Arab Emirates, subject to slot availability and prevailing conditions at departure stations.
The airline clarified that these services are being conducted with full regulatory clearance:
“These flights are being operated with the requisite permissions from the relevant Indian and local regulatory authorities in the UAE.”
Across UAE airports—including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah—scheduled operations remain suspended, with only select non-scheduled flights operating on specific sectors such as Delhi, Mangalore, Amritsar, and Kannur.
Air India provides Partial Stability on Saudi Arabia, Oman Routes
In contrast to the UAE, scheduled services continue to operate in parts of Oman and Saudi Arabia. Flights to Muscat, Jeddah, and Riyadh remain active across both Air India and Air India Express networks, covering major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram.
However, services to Salalah and Al Ain remain fully suspended.
| UAE | Dubai | No | Yes | Air India - Delhi |
| Air India Express - Mangalore | ||||
| Abu Dhabi | No | Yes | Air India Express - Delhi | |
| Ras Al Khaimah | No | Yes | __ | |
| Sharjah | No | Yes | Air India Express - Amritsar, Kannur | |
| Al Ain | No | No | __ | |
| Oman | Muscat | Yes | No | Air India Express - Delhi, Kannur, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Salalah | No | No | __ | |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah | Yes | No | Air India - Delhi, Mumbai |
| Air India Express - Bengaluru, Kozhikode, Mangalore | ||||
| Riyadh | Yes | No | Air India - Delhi | |
| No | No | __ | ||
| Dammam | No | No | __ | |
| Bahrain | Bahrain | No | No | __ |
| Qatar | Doha | No | No | __ |
| Kuwait | Kuwait | No | No | __ |
| Israel | Tel Aviv | No | No | __ |
Long-Haul Flights Continue Without Disruption
Air India confirmed that all long-haul routes to North America, Europe, Australia and other regions are operating as scheduled, insulating international connectivity beyond West Asia from current disruptions.
Flexible Rebooking and Refund Options for Air India Passengers
Passengers impacted by suspended routes are being offered flexibility, with the airline stating:
“Guests booked to travel on any of the routes where Air India group’s scheduled services remain temporarily suspended may conveniently rebook to a future date at no additional charge or opt for a full refund.”
Travellers can manage changes via the airline’s official website or contact round-the-clock customer support.
Additionally, Air India Express passengers departing from UAE stations can rebook without fees onto alternate flights. The airline is also deploying direct outreach via registered mobile numbers and its AI-powered assistant:
“Air India and Air India Express are proactively reaching out to impacted guests using the mobile numbers registered with the airline to provide rebooking options.”
IndiGo Confirms ‘Selective Flights’ to Middle East
Parallel to Air India’s advisory, IndiGo indicated a more cautious operational stance, noting that it will operate select flights to and from the Middle East, with schedules under continuous review.
The airline advised passengers:
“Verify your flight status before heading to the airport.”
“Notifications regarding any changes will be sent to your registered contact details.”
“For support, our contact centre remains available to assist with queries.”
Reinforcing its operational priorities, the airline added:
“The safety and well-being of our customers and crew continue to be our top priority. We thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
About the Author
Livemint
For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer
English (US) ·