Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express have taken the first concrete steps toward normalising connectivity between India and the Gulf after a week-long closure of several West Asian air corridors. In a late-night press release on 5 March 2026, the Tata-owned group confirmed that airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman has been assessed as safe, allowing a phased resumption of flights to Jeddah and Muscat. The carriers have also reinstated a skeletal schedule to the United Arab Emirates—covering Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah—and to Salalah in Oman. The immediate priority is to bring home thousands of Indian nationals who were stranded when hostilities in the region forced airlines to cancel services or take lengthy detours. Between 5 and 6 March the group is running more than 20 ad-hoc rotations in addition to its truncated scheduled programme. Passengers holding tickets issued before 4 March for travel between 28 February and 8 March can re-book once, free of charge and without fare difference, through Air India’s website, call-centres or the AI-powered WhatsApp bot “Tia”. Operations remain far from normal. Routes to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and most Saudi points are still suspended until at least 10 March, and long-haul services to Europe and North America are flying longer southerly routings with technical stops in Rome or Vienna. The airline warned corporates to expect extended block times and tighter cargo weight limits while alternative corridors stay congested. For mobility managers the announcement provides a narrow window to repatriate staff whose UAE residence visas are expiring, to reposition relief crews for Middle-East projects and to resume time-sensitive shipments of engineering spares.
![Air India restarts limited Gulf services, offers free re-booking as West Asia airspace crisis eases]()
During such compressed timelines, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can shoulder the administrative burden by arranging express visas, passport renewals and work-permit documentation for multiple Gulf destinations, freeing corporate travel teams to focus on seat availability instead of consulate queues.
However, planners should build five-to-six-hour buffers into onward connections and advise travellers to keep contact details updated so they receive last-minute re-routing messages. In the medium term, the episode underscores the strategic value of India’s ongoing fleet renewal—particularly the arrival of extra-long-range A350-1000s in 2027, which should reduce reliance on Gulf overflies. Until peace talks progress, contingency contracts with charter operators and regional partners will remain a mobility best practice.
During such compressed timelines, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can shoulder the administrative burden by arranging express visas, passport renewals and work-permit documentation for multiple Gulf destinations, freeing corporate travel teams to focus on seat availability instead of consulate queues.
However, planners should build five-to-six-hour buffers into onward connections and advise travellers to keep contact details updated so they receive last-minute re-routing messages. In the medium term, the episode underscores the strategic value of India’s ongoing fleet renewal—particularly the arrival of extra-long-range A350-1000s in 2027, which should reduce reliance on Gulf overflies. Until peace talks progress, contingency contracts with charter operators and regional partners will remain a mobility best practice.
