Gurugram: Air India and Air India Express have confirmed that their scheduled flight operations to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Muscat (Oman) will continue as normal, as airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman remains open.
Air India will maintain its regular services between Delhi and Mumbai to Jeddah, while Air India Express will continue operating flights connecting Muscat with Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Kannur, as well as services between Jeddah and Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangaluru.
However, due to ongoing airspace restrictions in other parts of West Asia, both airlines will operate additional non-scheduled flights on March 8, subject to approvals from Indian and local aviation authorities.
Air India will operate additional flights between Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai, while Air India Express will operate 30 extra flights between India and UAE destinations including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah. These additional services are primarily intended to assist stranded travellers, with priority given to passengers holding existing bookings.
Meanwhile, several scheduled flights of Air India Express to and from Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Kuwait and Riyadh have been cancelled until March 13, while Air India’s services to Dammam, Doha and Riyadh remain suspended until March 10.
Passengers affected by cancellations can rebook their travel for a later date without additional charges or opt for a full refund, the airlines said.
Air India passengers can submit rebooking or cancellation requests through the airline’s website or contact its 24-hour customer support helpline at +91 11 69329333 or +91 11 69329999.
Air India Express passengers departing from any UAE airport can also rebook their travel on additional commercial flights from any UAE city to any destination in India without extra charges.
The airline group said it is continuing to explore further opportunities to operate additional ad-hoc flights between India and West Asia depending on the evolving situation.
Air India also confirmed that its flights to Europe, the United Kingdom and North America have been operating normally since March 2, using alternative safe routes. Due to longer routes, flights to North America are making technical stops in Rome (Fiumicino) or Vienna before continuing to their final destinations.
