Flight Status 7 March Highlights: Dubai airport ‘partially’ resumes ops; IndiGo, Air India announce flights to West Asia

Air India and Air India Express said they are continuing scheduled flights to Jeddah and Muscat as airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman remains open.

The airlines are also operating additional non-scheduled flights on 8 March, including extra services to Dubai and other UAE cities to assist stranded passengers.

Several Gulf routes to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, and cities such as Doha, Dammam and Riyadh remain temporarily cancelled, with rebooking and refund options available. Meanwhile, flights to Europe and North America continue on alternative routes, with some services making technical stops in Rome or Vienna.

Full details here

Air India on Saturday said that given the continued airspace restrictions in other parts of West Asia, both Air India and Air India Express are operating additional non-scheduled flights on 8 March, with approvals from the Indian and local authorities. Air India will operate additional non-scheduled flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai and back, while Air India Express will operate 30 additional flights between India and UAE cities - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah.

In a post on X, IndiGo posted a travel advisory and added that flights to eight destinations in the Middle East will resume on 8 March.

According to a BBC report, stranded passengers in Dubai are now claiming that the flight tickets to England are going for around £16,000, as conflict escalates.

A loud explosion was heard in Dubai on Saturday evening, AFP reported, while Iran continued to launch missiles and drones at targets across the Gulf.

Qatar Airways said it would operate limited flights to Doha.

The airlines' scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. The airlines will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace by the relevant authorities, as per a statement by the airlines. A further update will be provided on 8 March.

You can check Emirates flight status by logging onto the website, and entering destination, trip date details

Passengers arriving from Dubai at airports across India on Saturday said the situation in the United Arab Emirates remained largely under control despite missile alerts. Many also expressed relief at reaching home safely and thanked the government for facilitating evacuation efforts, according to ANI.

At Indira Gandhi International Airport, a passenger who had returned from Dubai said the overall situation there appeared mostly normal, though sirens were sounded occasionally and authorities issued advisories asking residents to stay indoors unless it was an emergency.

"The situation is very normal there. Sirens ring and alarms come but still, it's quite a normal environment. Advisory is to stay inside unless it's an emergency," the passenger said.

Another passenger who landed at Delhi airport mentioned missiles were being intercepted and that residents had been urged to keep emergency bags packed with essentials.

"The missiles are being intercepted and we used to receive emergency alerts. We were advised to stay safe and stay indoors. And keep one bag packed, ready with all essentials," the passenger said.

Scott Kirby said on Friday that the sharp rise in fuel prices following strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran would have a “meaningful” impact on the first-quarter performance of United Airlines, although travel demand continues to remain strong. He made the remarks in an interview with CNBC.

Jet fuel prices have risen by around 15 per cent over the past week, intensifying pressure on the airline industry, which is already grappling with the expanding conflict. The situation has resulted in more than 20,000 flight cancellations and has left thousands of passengers stranded.

The Civil Aviation ministry has advised passengers to closely monitor the latest updates on their flights and stay alert to communications sent by their respective airlines through registered contact details, as per PTI.

It also said the Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) at the ministry is coordinating with airlines and other stakeholders to help address passenger-related issues.

Singapore airlines said flights to and from Dubai are cancelled until March 15. Korean Air said flights to Dubai suspended until March 8, according to Bloomberg.

Aegean Airlines, the largest airline in Greece, has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad until early morning arrivals on March 13. Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been halted until evening arrivals on March 12, while services to Riyadh and Jeddah remain suspended until early morning arrivals on March 9.

Air Canada has also suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv, with plans to resume operations on March 23.

The airline said it will operate flights to five destinations in the Middle East on 7th March 2026, “to support customers, subject to prevailing safety conditions and applicable regulatory approvals”.

These include flights to Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Fujairah International Airport, the RAF Akrotiri airport, and Sharjah International Airport.

Of the 51,600 scheduled flights to or from the Middle East since Feb. 28, more than half have been cancelled, according to analytics firm Cirium Ltd.

Between March 7-10, three extra flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, one extra Delhi-Paris service have been announced by Air India.

Ghana’s state-backed artisanal gold exporter is preparing to redirect shipments to other refining centres if flight disruptions to the United Arab Emirates continue, according to two sources familiar with the development. The situation has highlighted Africa’s heavy reliance on Dubai as a key hub for gold refining and trade, as per Reuters.

Physical gold shipments through Dubai, one of the world’s major trading centres supplying markets such as Switzerland, Hong Kong and India, have been disrupted for the past seven days after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, with the conflict spilling over into neighbouring countries and grounding most air transport in Dubai.

For Ghana, Africa’s largest and the world’s sixth-biggest gold producer, Dubai typically refines nearly 80 per cent of the output from the country’s extensive artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.

US airlines are facing an “existential threat” due to a sharp rise in jet fuel prices that could significantly increase their operating costs, according to Deutsche Bank, as per Bloomberg.

Jet fuel prices in the United States have spiked amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Prices have more than doubled so far this year, while crude oil has climbed about 50% over the same period.

The bank noted in a Friday report to clients that the last time such a sharp expansion in the so-called crack spread, the gap between crude oil prices and jet fuel prices, occurred was in 2005. At that time, “the damage to the airline industry was significant and widespread,” with carriers Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines filing for bankruptcy.

Dubai's Emirates said it has resumed operations after disruptions caused by another round of interceptions. It said, “Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating.”

According to an official statement, passenger movement data for March 5 shows that a total of 40 inbound flights run by Indian carriers landed in India from the West Asia region, with 7,205 passengers, reported ANI.

Qatar Airways to operated limited flights from London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt and Bangkok to Doha on Sunday, according to Reuters.

A flydubai flight from Dubai landed in Kokkata on Saturday, according to airport officials, as per PTI.

The flight came at 0053 hours with 163 passengers. It later left for Dubai with 92 passengers, they added. A Qatar Airways flight also left Kolkata for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, officials mentioned.

Dubai airport ‘partially’ resumed operations, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC, it said on X.

“Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change,” it added.

Emirates in a post on X said that it is suspending all flights to and from Dubai until further notice. This came after an aerial interception took place over Dubai airport during attacks from Iran, AFP reported.

“Please do not go to the airport,” the airline told passengers in a statement on X.

Dubai International Airport in a post on X said that it is temporarily suspends all operations due to safety reasons.

“For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended. All procedures are being managed in line with established safety protocols,” it announced on 7 March.

In a post on X, Emirates said it is operating a reduced flight schedule.

• Till 6 March, it carried around 30,000 passengers out of Dubai.
• On 7 March, Emirates will have 106 daily return flights operating to 83 destinations, representing almost 60% of route network.
• Scaled up operations in high-demand markets — operating 11 daily flights across five airports by 7 March, reflecting the strength of travel demand between the UAE and UK.
• Additional capacity is being deployed across India — scaling up to 22 daily flights, serving all nine of its Indian gateways by 7 March.
• In US, operating seven gateways, ensuring continued connectivity to the UAE.

Air India Express in a statement said it will operate 43 flights across West Asia on 7 March, along with Air India.

This will connect Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah with major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and more.

For the additional non-scheduled flights planned for 7 March. Since these flights are intended primarily for stranded travellers, the airline said priority will be given to guests holding existing bookings with either Air India or AI Express.

You can check the full list of Air India and Air India Express flights to and from the middle east here.

For passengers impacted by the West Asia conflict:

• Air India is allowing those with tickets issued until 4 March 2026 and originally planned travel between 28 February and 8 March 2026 to rebook their flights to India on a future date within one month of originally intended travel date without additional charges or fare difference.
• Air India guests are advised to raise their rebooking or cancellation requests on the airline’s website at http://airindia.com or contact the 24x7 customer support hotline at +911169329333 or +911169329999.
• Air India Express guests booked to travel from any station in the UAE can rebook their flights without additional charges on additional commercial flights operating from any UAE station to any destination in India.

In a post on X, Air India said it and low-cost carrier Air India Express both continue to operate scheduled flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat, which have been assessed safe for operations.

• Additional non-scheduled flights have been planned to operate to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah on 7 March, to fly the stranded passengers back to India.
• It added that Air India's services to Europe and North America are operating normally through safe alternative routings.

IndiGo in a passenger travel advisory on X said that it has extended its free waivers on cancellations up till the 31st of March 2026 due to the ongoing volatile situation in the Middle East.

• Full waiver on cancellations are being extended for travel to and from the Middle East, and Istanbul, until 31 March 2026
• Passengers can check latest updates on flight status here: http://bit.ly/31paVKQ
• IndiGo's Customer Contact Centre can be reached at +91 124 6173838

The airline said it will operate flights to five destinations in the Middle East on 7th March 2026, “to support customers, subject to prevailing safety conditions and applicable regulatory approvals”.

These include flights to Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Fujairah International Airport, the RAF Akrotiri airport, and Sharjah International Airport.

Check the flight list below:

As a continuing measure, passengers with a confirmed booking between 28 February and 15 March 2026, are eligible for:

• Complimentary date changes of up to 14 days from the original travel date, or
• Refund of the unused value of your ticket.
• For latest updates visit: http://qatarairways.com/travelalerts

• Passengers are requested to avoid travelling to the airport unless they have already received an official notification from Qatar Airways for repatriation flights.
• Affected passengers have been directly contacted by the airline with their assigned flight details, travel arrangements and next steps.
• “We are working around the clock to organise additional relief flights where operationally possible and will share further updates as soon as they are confirmed,” the statement added.
• Passengers have been asked to ensure latest contact details are updated via the Qatar Airways website and the Qatar Airways app.

Qatar Airways said the repatriation flights do not constitute a confirmation of resumption of scheduled commercial operations.

• Scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
• Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace by the relevant authorities.
• A further update will be provided on 8 March by 09:00 Doha time (06:00 UTC).

Qatar Airways today said it will operate a limited relief corridor from Doha.

It said that after the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority granted temporary authorisation, the airline intends to operate repatriation flights on 7 March.

• These repatriation flights will depart from Hamad International Airport to the following airports: London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), and Frankfurt (FRA).
• Priority on these flights was given to stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs.
• Each flight was pre-allocated by Qatar Airways directly to such affected passengers.

Qatar's Hamad International Airport confirmed that it will operate “a limited number of flights solely for the evacuation of stranded passengers and air cargo operations, on Saturday, March 7”.

The statement added that additional flights over the next few days “will remain subject to ongoing assessment of the security situation”.

The QCAA said it is “continuously monitoring developments and will keep the public and aviation sector partners informed of any updates in due course”.

It has advised passengers who have confirmed bookings with airlines to follow the latest updates regarding their flights.

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has announced partial resumption of air navigation, through designated navigational contingency routes with limited operational capacity, in full coordination with the Qatari Armed Forces and the relevant authorities in the State.

“This phase includes the operation of a limited number of flights designated for passenger evacuation, in addition to the operation of air cargo flights, in light of the current circumstances in the region, and in a manner that ensures the continued provision of essential air services,” it stated in a post on X.

It added that this does not include scheduled flights to and from Doha, which will resume after the airspace is reopened.

MoCA said it is “closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia” and that airlines are undertaking necessary operational adjustments amid prevailing conditions to ensure passenger safety and orderly flight operations.

• On 6 March: 51 flights were planned to be operated by Indian carriers
• On 5 March: A total of 40 inbound flights brought 7,205 passengers to India from the West Asia region,
• Cumulative passenger arrivals in India from the region since the conflict began has reached 14,992.

“Passengers are advised to remain in contact with their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding flight schedules. Further updates will be issued as necessary,” the ministry said.

Good morning and welcome to Mint's LIVE coverage of the latest flights update status amid developments in Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, Fujairah and more. The Civil Aviation Ministry had noted that services remain disrupted due to to ongoing developments in West Asia and airspace restrictions in the region.