New Delhi, Mar. 20: Flight operations continue to remain disrupted amid the ongoing war between the US-Israel and Iran. Key Middle Eastern routes are severely impacted as the war enters its 21st day. IndiGo, Emirates resumed partial operations on Thursday after partial reopening of regional airspace in West Asia. However, thousands of passengers lay stranded amid the turmoil.

Air India announced that  along with Air India Express, it will operate 34 scheduled and non-scheduled flights, to and from the West Asia region on March 20.

Air India Express will continue to operate 6 scheduled flights to and from Muscat, including the Delhi, Kannur and Mumbai routes.

In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 28 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), subject to availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time.

The UAE’s leading airline Emirates has resumed operations to Dubai. The airline has requested passengers to check the flight status and schedule beforehand. In its travel advisory, the airline stated that customers booked to travel between February 28 and April 15, 2026, can either rebook on an alternate flight or request a refund.

Etihad Airways is operating commercial flights to Abu Dhabi. The airline said that the passengers who had a previous booking will be accommodated in the upcoming schedule. 

Qatar Airways is currently operating a limited number of flights till 28 March 2026. IndiGo has resumed its flight operations to and from Dubai after approval from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

An Emirates flight EK10 from London cruised over Saudi Arabia on Monday and returned to London, completing a journey of around 9,100 km. Around 30 Emirates flights heading to Dubai were turned back or rerouted after Iranian drone attacks on March 18. 

Global airlines have cancelled their flights to Tel Aviv for the next couple of months. The current round of conflict in West Asia, which began on February 28 with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has witnessed fighting between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other.

The conflict escalated following the assassination of 86-year-old Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel, after which Iran, in its retaliation, targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption in the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.-Agencies