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Air India to run special UAE flights on March 19 amid travel disruptions
In total, the airline group plans around 30 additional flights to and from the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:46 AM UPDATED: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:56 AM
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Air India and Air India Express will operate 48 flights to and from the Middle East on March 19, with UAE services continuing largely through additional, non-scheduled operations as regular flights to several airports remain suspended.
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In the UAE, most services will be operated as ad-hoc flights, subject to slot availability and regulatory approvals. Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah will see multiple Air India Express flights connecting Indian cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram.
Dubai will not have scheduled services, though one ad-hoc flight is planned along with limited operations under special arrangements. In total, the airline group plans around 30 additional flights to and from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
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Scheduled services will continue to Jeddah and Muscat. The airline group will operate 16 flights between India and Jeddah, with Air India running return services from Delhi and Mumbai, and Air India Express operating flights from Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kozhikode. Air India Express will also run six scheduled flights to Muscat, connecting Delhi, Kozhikode and Mumbai.
Elsewhere in the region, Riyadh will see only ad-hoc flights, while services to Dammam, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait and Tel Aviv remain suspended.
Air India said passengers booked on affected routes can rebook for a later date at no extra cost or opt for a full refund. The airline added it is contacting travellers directly and advised passengers to ensure their contact details are updated.
Air India Express passengers in the UAE can rebook on additional flights from any UAE airport to India without extra charges, including through the airline’s WhatsApp-based assistant.
Flights to North America, Europe, Australia and other regions continue to operate as scheduled. The airline group said it is exploring options to operate more additional flights across the Middle East, depending on operational conditions.