Air India and Air India Express to Operate 48 Flights to West Asia on 16 March

Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 48 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on 16 March 2026 as the airlines continue to manage operations across the region.

 

Both carriers will maintain regular scheduled services to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman. In total, 10 scheduled flights will operate between India and Jeddah. Air India will run one return service each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will operate flights from Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangalore.

Air India Express will also operate 12 scheduled flights to and from Muscat, including services from Delhi, Kannur, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as two flights from Kochi.

In addition to these regular services, the Air India Group will operate 26 non-scheduled flights to several destinations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These ad hoc services will depend on the availability of airport slots and other operational conditions and have been approved by the relevant regulatory authorities.

The additional flights will serve major UAE airports including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah. They will connect several Indian cities such as Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Mangalore. Additional ad hoc services are also planned for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

However, some routes in the region remain temporarily suspended. Scheduled services to destinations including Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Tel Aviv and Dammam are not operating at this time.

Air India confirmed that flights to North America, Europe, Australia and other international destinations continue to operate normally.

Passengers whose flights have been affected by the temporary suspensions can rebook for a future date without additional charges or request a full refund.

The airline is contacting affected passengers directly using their registered mobile numbers to offer rebooking options. Travelers are also encouraged to ensure their contact details are updated with the airline to receive notifications.

Air India Express passengers can rebook flights through the airline’s digital assistant “Tia,” available on WhatsApp, while both airlines continue to explore opportunities to operate additional ad hoc flights to and from West Asia.