Responding to cascading airspace closures across West Asia, Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express mounted an emergency schedule of 36 flights on 31 March 2026, including 20 ad-hoc services linking multiple Indian cities with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The Tata-owned carriers secured same-day slot approvals from UAE authorities, illustrating the high-level coordination now commonplace as regional conflict squeezes capacity. Operational data released by the airline show a patchwork network: while Dubai and Abu Dhabi received only non-scheduled flights, Muscat and Riyadh retained their regular schedules, and services to Bahrain, Qatar and Israel remained suspended. Long-haul routes to Europe, North America and Australia are unaffected, the carrier said, emphasising that strategic trunk lines remain intact. To protect passengers, Air India has waived re-booking fees and is offering full refunds on cancelled sectors.
![Air India group deploys 36 special flights on 31 March to keep India–Gulf corridor open]()
For travellers who suddenly need to extend their UAE stay or secure visas for an alternative onward route, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) delivers step-by-step online processing, rapid turnaround times and real-time tracking—an invaluable safety net when flight plans shift at the last minute.
Air India Express travellers can also switch, free of charge, to any other UAE flight operated by the airline—an important concession for migrant workers whose visas require strict return dates. An AI-powered WhatsApp bot nicknamed “Tia” is handling real-time re-routing requests, a first-of-its-kind deployment in Indian aviation. For corporates with ongoing Gulf assignments the advice is to build redundancy into itineraries. Travel managers should monitor day-of-departure slot confirmations and pre-book hotel rooms in secondary hubs such as Muscat in case of diversions. Companies with large expatriate populations in the UAE are encouraging staff to register with the Indian Embassy’s digital warden system to receive push alerts. The Air India group’s rapid capacity injection underscores how India’s flag carrier is pivoting from a static schedule to a nimble, wartime posture—mirroring the government’s broader ‘Vande Bharat-style’ contingency planning first honed during the pandemic. Whether the model is financially sustainable if disruptions drag on remains to be seen, but for now it provides a critical mobility lifeline between India and its largest expatriate market.
For travellers who suddenly need to extend their UAE stay or secure visas for an alternative onward route, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) delivers step-by-step online processing, rapid turnaround times and real-time tracking—an invaluable safety net when flight plans shift at the last minute.
Air India Express travellers can also switch, free of charge, to any other UAE flight operated by the airline—an important concession for migrant workers whose visas require strict return dates. An AI-powered WhatsApp bot nicknamed “Tia” is handling real-time re-routing requests, a first-of-its-kind deployment in Indian aviation. For corporates with ongoing Gulf assignments the advice is to build redundancy into itineraries. Travel managers should monitor day-of-departure slot confirmations and pre-book hotel rooms in secondary hubs such as Muscat in case of diversions. Companies with large expatriate populations in the UAE are encouraging staff to register with the Indian Embassy’s digital warden system to receive push alerts. The Air India group’s rapid capacity injection underscores how India’s flag carrier is pivoting from a static schedule to a nimble, wartime posture—mirroring the government’s broader ‘Vande Bharat-style’ contingency planning first honed during the pandemic. Whether the model is financially sustainable if disruptions drag on remains to be seen, but for now it provides a critical mobility lifeline between India and its largest expatriate market.
