US-Iran conflict impacts air passengers Highlights: IndiGo offers full refund, Gulf airlines extend flight suspensions

US-Iran conflict impacts flights Highlights: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Sunday informed that 444 flights of domestic carriers are expected to be cancelled on 1 March, due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East.

In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said that 410 flights were cancelled on Saturday.

• It said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) “is maintaining close coordination with airlines to ensure full compliance with safety and operational regulations”.
• Passengers are advised to check and confirm their flight status with the respective airlines before proceeding to the airport.

• Major airports remain on operational alert to manage potential diversions and ensure seamless passenger facilitation.
• “Passenger assistance, airline coordination, and terminal crowd management are being closely monitored, with senior officials deployed on the ground,” it added.

Emirates issues advisory: What are your options for flights before 5 March?

Emirates has said that passengers holding tickets for flights before or on 5 March, have the following options:

• Rebook on an alternate flight to the same destination up to 20 days from your original date of travel.
• If you booked your flight with a travel agent, please contact them. If you booked with Emirates directly, contact the airline.
• ⁠Request for refund by completing the refund form if you booked with the airline directly.
• If you booked your flights with a travel agent, please contact them for refund.

IndiGo offers full refund for passengers

IndiGo airlines on Sunday said that customers may opt for a full refund or reschedule until 7th March 2026, for bookings made on or before 28th February 2026 at no additional cost.

Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways extend flight suspensions

Gulf airlines, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways have extended their suspension of operations amid retaliatory strikes from Iran, Bloomberg reported.

• Emirates, the world's largest international airline, has suspended services indefinitely.
• Etihad has extended flight service cancellations till 2 am (3.30 am IST) on 2 March.
• Qatar Airways has paused services and is expected to give an update at 9 am (10.30 am IST) on Monday.

Air India cancels 50 flights on Sunday — Check full list

Full-cost carrier Air India on Sunday said that it has cancelled 50 international services so far, due to the middle east conflict.

Scheduled operations of the following flights have been impacted and cancelled for the day according to the Tata Group-owned airline:

• Flights to and from Mumbai-London (AI131/ AI130),
• Delhi- Birmingham (AI113/ AI118),
• Delhi-Amsterdam (AI155/ AI156),
• Delhi-Zurich (AI151/ AI152),
• Delhi-Milan (AI137 / AI138),
• Delhi-Vienna (AI153 / AI154),
• Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) (AI133 / AI132),

• Delhi-Copenhagen (AI157 / AI158),
• Delhi-London (Heathrow) (AI2017 / AI2018),
• Delhi-Frankfurt (AI2015/AI2016),
• Delhi-London (Heathrow) (AI161/AI162),
• London (Heathrow)-Delhi (AI111/AI112) ,
• AI129/AI128: Mumbai-London (Heathrow) / London (Heathrow)-Mumbai,
• AI169/AI170: Amritsar-London (Gatwick) / London (Gatwick)-Amritsar,
• AI101/AI102: Delhi-New York (JFK) / New York (JFK)-Delhi,
• AI119/AI116: Mumbai-New York (JFK) / New York (JFK)-Mumbai,

• AI191/AI144: Mumbai-Newark / Newark - Mumbai,
• AI127/AI126: Delhi-Chicago / Chicago-Delhi (via Vienna),
• AI187/AI188 and AI189 and AI190: Delhi-Toronto / Toronto-Delhi (via Vienna),
• AI2025/AI2026: Delhi-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Delhi,
• AI2027/AI2028: Mumbai-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Mumbai,
• AI143/AI142 and AI147/AI148: Delhi-Paris / Paris-Delhi.

IndiGo says airspace closure over middle east extended

In a post on X, domestic carrier IndiGo said that amid ongoing conflict in the middle east, “the temporary suspension of select international flights that use Middle East airspace has been extended until 2nd March 2026, 23:59 hours (or 11.59 pm) IST.”

Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways flights disrupted

• Reuters cited the Airports Company South Africa to report that the UAE airspace closure has affected Emirates, and Qatar Airways flights in the region.
• Meanwhile, Etihad Airways in a post on X said that all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are suspended until 0200 UAE time (3.30 pm IST) on 2 March.

• Bloomberg reported that with Dubai’s main airport — the world’s busiest aviation hub — effectively shut down, disruptions have rippled across the aviation sector. It said that over 2,300 flights from Bahrain to Tel Aviv were cancelled leaving tens of thousands stranded.
• Carriers including Air France, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie and Lufthansa announced widespread cancellations.

Amritsar, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Cochin Airports experience flight disruptions

• Amritsar's Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport saw widespread disruptions on Sunday, with several international flights cancelled or diverted amid the Middle East conflict.
• PTI cited sources to report that as many as 18 international flights from Chennai to various Gulf countries (West Asia) were cancelled on Sunday, leaving passengers stranded. Impact airlines include Emirates, Etihad, IndiGo and Gulf Air, it added.
• The Chennai airport has in an advisory to passengers, asked international travelers to check with their respective airlines before their journey.
• Further, Tiruchirappalli airport in an advisory said Air India Express operating on the Dubai-Tiruchirappalli sector on Sunday has been cancelled, PTI reported.

• Another PTI report added that as many as 26 international flights from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Limited (TIAL) to various Gulf countries have been cancelled on Sunday.
• And another six flights to various Gulf destinations from Kannur International Airport on Sunday were also cancelled, authorities said.
• At Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), 35 flights to the Gulf region were cancelled as per the schedule posted on the official website.
• At Calicut International Airport, around 10 flights to the Gulf region were cancelled, officials said.

Airspace closed, flights cancelled: Latest updates

Several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar have closed their airspace after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, AFP reported.

• Gulf carriers: Emirates and Etihad cancelled 38 percent and 30 percent of their flights respectively, Cirium said.
• Qatar Airways: suspended all flights from Doha. Cancelled 41 percent of total flights, according to Cirium.
• Syria Air: Syria's national carrier cancelled all flights until further notice.
• Delta Air Lines: suspended New York-Tel Aviv flights until Sunday.
• American Airlines: Doha-Philadelphia flights were "temporarily suspended".

• Russia's air transport authority Rosaviatsia said all commercial flights to Israel and Iran were cancelled "until further notice".
• Air India: suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East.
• Pakistan International Airlines: the flag carrier of Pakistan, which borders Iran, said it had suspended flights to the UAE, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait.
• Ariana Afghan Airlines: cancelled a Kabul-Dubai flight and a Kabul-Mazar-i-Sharif-Jeddah flight Saturday.
• Biman Bangladesh Airlines: suspended all flights to the Middle East.
• Turkish Airlines: suspended flights to 10 Middle East nations (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Oman).
• Air France: cancelled its Dubai, Riyadh and Beirut flights for Saturday, and flights to Tel Aviv until Sunday, saying it would provide schedule updates later.
• British Airways: not flying to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 4, flight to Jordanian capital Amman cancelled on Saturday.
• Swiss International Air Lines: suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 7 and from Zurich to Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.

• Lufthansa Group (including Swiss and ITA Airways): cancelled its flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7. Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi cancelled until Sunday.
• Algerian carrier Air Algerie: suspending Saturday's flights to Amman, Dubai and Doha.
• Finnair: suspended daily flights to Dubai and Doha until March 6.
• Norwegian: suspending its flights to and from Dubai up until and including March 4.
• Wizz Air: Hungary's low-cost carrier suspended "all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until March 7 inclusive" and cancelled flights to Saudi Arabia until March 2.
• Garuda Indonesia: Indonesia's flag carrier temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha "until further notice", the company said in a statement Sunday.

India gives visa extension for stranded foreign travellers

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an advisory on Sunday asked foreign nationals in the country to approach their nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) if they require assistance with visa extensions or need to regularise their stay.

It is not immediately clear how many foreign tourists are stranded in India due to the flight cancellations, PTI reported.

(With inputs from Agencies)