With commercial schedules collapsing in the wake of missile strikes across the Persian Gulf, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has authorised 58 evacuation and repatriation flights for 4 March, split between national carrier Air India and low-cost giant IndiGo. Officials confirmed that 1,221 services by Indian airlines and 388 by foreign carriers have already been cancelled since 28 February because of airspace closures over Iran, Iraq and parts of Saudi Arabia.(deccanherald.com)
The specially cleared operations focus on high-density diaspora hubs—Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and Kuwait City—using longer southerly routings that skirt conflict zones. Charter advisers say block times on Dubai–Delhi sectors have jumped from 3 hours 30 minutes to nearly 6 hours, requiring additional crews and technical fuel stops at Ahmedabad or Mumbai.
Amid the scramble, travel-documentation specialists like VisaHQ can lighten the administrative load by confirming passport validity, organising replacement visas for rerouted itineraries and securing urgent transit permits. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides real-time embassy updates and 24/7 support—an asset for employers racing to meet MoCA’s manifest deadlines.
![Government Clears 58 Special Flights on 4 March to Evacuate Indians from Gulf Hot Zones]()
Employers with assignees in the energy and construction sectors are scrambling to secure seats; MoCA has asked companies to coordinate passenger manifests through state governments to prevent duplicate bookings. Several IT services providers have chartered Airbus 321neo aircraft to bring back project teams on short notice, while the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi is issuing emergency travel documents to workers whose passports are with Kafala-system sponsors.
On arrival, passengers will face enhanced customs and immigration processing, including thermal scanning and digital disembarkation cards. States such as Kerala and Maharashtra have opened help-desks at arrival halls to facilitate onward transport and counselling. Mobility managers should keep contact lists of local state liaison officers handy and remind employees to carry hard copies of visa pages and Emirates IDs, which are being checked by Gulf authorities before boarding.
Although the government insists the operation is “pre-emptive” rather than an airlift, contingency planners note that the scale mirrors previous missions such as Vande Bharat (COVID-19) and Operation Ajay (Israel 2025). Companies with large Gulf footprints should review crisis-evacuation clauses in assignment letters and ensure insurance policies cover delays caused by host-country exit-permit backlogs.
The specially cleared operations focus on high-density diaspora hubs—Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and Kuwait City—using longer southerly routings that skirt conflict zones. Charter advisers say block times on Dubai–Delhi sectors have jumped from 3 hours 30 minutes to nearly 6 hours, requiring additional crews and technical fuel stops at Ahmedabad or Mumbai.
Amid the scramble, travel-documentation specialists like VisaHQ can lighten the administrative load by confirming passport validity, organising replacement visas for rerouted itineraries and securing urgent transit permits. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) provides real-time embassy updates and 24/7 support—an asset for employers racing to meet MoCA’s manifest deadlines.
Employers with assignees in the energy and construction sectors are scrambling to secure seats; MoCA has asked companies to coordinate passenger manifests through state governments to prevent duplicate bookings. Several IT services providers have chartered Airbus 321neo aircraft to bring back project teams on short notice, while the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi is issuing emergency travel documents to workers whose passports are with Kafala-system sponsors.
On arrival, passengers will face enhanced customs and immigration processing, including thermal scanning and digital disembarkation cards. States such as Kerala and Maharashtra have opened help-desks at arrival halls to facilitate onward transport and counselling. Mobility managers should keep contact lists of local state liaison officers handy and remind employees to carry hard copies of visa pages and Emirates IDs, which are being checked by Gulf authorities before boarding.
Although the government insists the operation is “pre-emptive” rather than an airlift, contingency planners note that the scale mirrors previous missions such as Vande Bharat (COVID-19) and Operation Ajay (Israel 2025). Companies with large Gulf footprints should review crisis-evacuation clauses in assignment letters and ensure insurance policies cover delays caused by host-country exit-permit backlogs.
