Indian Express tally: 250+ flights scrapped across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai as conflict drags on

The Indian Express calculated that at least 259 international departures and arrivals were cancelled across India’s four busiest airports on 3 March 2026, stranding thousands of travellers and clogging re-booking queues. Delhi alone accounted for roughly 80 cancellations, while Mumbai clocked 107, Bengaluru 42 and Chennai 30. Airport operators blamed the continuing closure of Iranian, Iraqi and parts of Saudi and UAE airspace, which forces time-consuming detours over the Arabian Sea or, in many cases, outright route suspensions.



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Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) posted passenger advisories on X every two hours, urging flyers to confirm flight status before leaving for the airport. Industry body FICCI estimated the direct economic impact of the four-day disruption at ₹310 crore—factoring aircraft idling, crew repositioning, extra fuel for diversions and hotel bills for delayed passengers. For global-mobility programs the numbers illustrate how quickly a regional conflict can upend even well-oiled travel calendars, underscoring the need for crisis-response playbooks and multi-carrier sourcing. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is reviewing temporary slot-waiver requests that would let airlines operate make-good flights outside normal curfew hours once full airspace access is restored. Mobility managers should expect irregular departure times and advise travellers to maintain flexible ground-transport plans.