India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) says Indian carriers expect to operate about 50 services on 9 March 2026 between India and key Gulf hubs—including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Jeddah—despite continuing regional conflict that has forced repeated rerouting and cancellations. According to a Times of India report, airlines flew 51 inbound services on 7 March and 49 on 8 March, underscoring authorities’ efforts to maintain essential mobility(timesofindia.indiatimes.com).
The dynamic scheduling reflects daily risk assessments of missile activity and airspace closures over parts of Iran, Iraq and the Gulf. Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air are filing longer routings to skirt restricted zones, adding 30–60 minutes of flight time and increasing fuel costs. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is also monitoring fare spikes to prevent price gouging.
![India keeps Gulf corridor open: 50 flights scheduled despite West-Asia airspace turmoil]()
Travellers juggling these ever-changing itineraries can streamline their documentation through VisaHQ, which offers fast online visa processing, passport renewals and real-time application tracking for passengers departing India to Gulf destinations and beyond: https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian businesses, the partial resumption is a lifeline: the Gulf accounts for more than 35 percent of India’s international traffic and hosts over nine million Indian expatriates. Freight forwarders are likewise relying on belly-hold capacity to keep just-in-time supply chains moving for sectors ranging from auto parts to perishables.
MoCA cautions travellers to stay in close contact with airlines, expect last-minute changes, and carry flexible tickets. Companies with frequent Gulf traffic should review travel-risk policies, ensure staff have multiple routing options and consider splitting groups across flights to limit exposure. Travel-management companies predict that, barring a further military escalation, schedules will gradually normalise over the coming week.
The dynamic scheduling reflects daily risk assessments of missile activity and airspace closures over parts of Iran, Iraq and the Gulf. Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air are filing longer routings to skirt restricted zones, adding 30–60 minutes of flight time and increasing fuel costs. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is also monitoring fare spikes to prevent price gouging.
Travellers juggling these ever-changing itineraries can streamline their documentation through VisaHQ, which offers fast online visa processing, passport renewals and real-time application tracking for passengers departing India to Gulf destinations and beyond: https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian businesses, the partial resumption is a lifeline: the Gulf accounts for more than 35 percent of India’s international traffic and hosts over nine million Indian expatriates. Freight forwarders are likewise relying on belly-hold capacity to keep just-in-time supply chains moving for sectors ranging from auto parts to perishables.
MoCA cautions travellers to stay in close contact with airlines, expect last-minute changes, and carry flexible tickets. Companies with frequent Gulf traffic should review travel-risk policies, ensure staff have multiple routing options and consider splitting groups across flights to limit exposure. Travel-management companies predict that, barring a further military escalation, schedules will gradually normalise over the coming week.
