New Delhi: Indian airlines are racing to restore flights to West Asia, one of their top international markets, after the US-Iran war flare-up had disrupted operations in the region. Their services across the region, however, still remain below last year's levels. West Asia accounts for nearly a third of Indian carriers' international passenger traffic and is central to their overseas expansion plans.
IndiGo and Air India Express are leading the rebound, restoring up to 80% of last year’s June capacity, as geopolitical tensions ease and airlines rebuild schedules. SpiceJet and Akasa Air also fly to the region, but their presence is relatively lower.
Data from UK-based aviation analytics firm OAG, reviewed by Mint, shows IndiGo has restored about 74% of its departures to West Asia destinations in June compared with the same period last year. Air India Express has restored nearly 70%, while Air India has brought back around 58% of its operations, the OAG data showed. Air India Express, however, said it has restored 80% of its flights to West Asia.
In absolute terms, IndiGo is operating 1,730 departures to the region in June, compared with 2,343 a year earlier. Air India Express has scheduled 1,244 departures against 1,784 last year, while Air India is operating 355 departures, compared with 607 in June 2025, OAG data showed.
The unfolding
The turnaround follows a severe disruption that began late February, when the conflict in West Asia triggered airspace restrictions, forcing flight cancellations, rerouting and sharp schedule cuts across Gulf-bound services.
For Indian airlines, this came as a double whammy since their overseas operations were already strained by the closure of Pakistani airspace since April 2025, which increased flying times and fuel burn on several routes. Rising jet fuel prices due to disruptions of the war added another layer of pressure.
April saw the steepest contraction in services. The cut in flights to the region for the three largest Indian operators ranged from 68% to 77%, from a year ago period.
OAG data shows IndiGo operated just 623 departures to West Asia destinations in April, down 72% from a year earlier. Air India Express operated 597 departures, a decline of 68%, while Air India's departures fell 77% to 148.
By May, conditions began to improve as restrictions eased and airlines gradually rebuilt schedules. By June, carriers had accelerated the restoration of flights to key destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Jeddah.
Caution remains
“IndiGo has been progressively restoring its India–West Asia capacity, with most of it expected to be back in operation by the end of June,” an IndiGo spokesperson said in an emailed response.
The airline cautioned that a full restoration could take longer as some airports in the region continue to face operational restrictions and infrastructure constraints.
A spokesperson for Air India Express, which says it has restored about 80% of its operations in the region, said: “Currently, we operate about 2,500 monthly flights to and from the region (around 1,250 departures from India).” The carrier is also adding new routes such as Navi Mumbai–Abu Dhabi, the spokesperson added.
Air India did not respond to Mint’s queries.
Satyendra Pandey, managing partner at Aairavat Technology & Transport Ventures Pvt Ltd, said route economics remain uneven. “Route economics still show wide variation, normalization remains a distant target, and substantial risks persist,” he said. “The recent increase in capacity reflects a mix of network concentration, available fleet deployment, and transfer traffic.”
Bustling routes
West Asia remains one of the most important overseas markets for Indian carriers, supported by migrant-worker traffic, business travel and passengers visiting friends and relatives. Routes to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait rank among the busiest international sectors operated by Indian carriers.
“West Asia accounts for about 30% of Indian carriers' international traffic and remains a significant outbound travel destination for Indians,” said Karan Khanna, lead aviation analyst at brokerage firm Ambit Capital.
Khanna said Air India’s restoration has been slower because the airline is pursuing a yield-focused strategy, prioritizing higher-margin long-haul routes over the intensely competitive Gulf markets that is dominated by low-cost carriers. “Additionally, its ramp-up is paced by ongoing widebody fleet retrofits and group-wide network restructuring,” he said.
OAG data shows the total capacity to West Asia, including foreign carriers, remains about 16% below year-ago levels in June. There are 7,968 departures scheduled this month, against 9,519 a year ago.
Elevated fuel costs continue to weigh on airline economics even as demand improves, the IndiGo spokesperson said.
Analysts, however, say that the demand for these routes remains intact.
“Despite a 40% rise in fares on West Asian routes in June, the demand holds,” said Gagan Dixit, senior vice-president, oil & gas and avaiation, at Elara Capital. “Demand was always there; the cuts came on account of geopolitical constraints only,” he added.
Another analyst said international passenger traffic has remained “broadly flat” despite a double-digit decline in overall flights by Indian carriers. “This suggests demand has recovered faster than capacity,” said Jainam Shah, aviation analyst at brokerage firm Equirus Securities.
"International passenger traffic for Indian carriers during the first 21 days of June declined just 1% year-on-year even as international departures fell 14%," he added.
According to Shah, demand is improving across labour, business and visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) travel segments.