With its airspace close, how Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is transporting people to & from India

NEW DELHI: The Israel-Iran war has forced airlines of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states Kuwait and Bahrain to operate from neighbouring Saudi Arabia. With Indians the largest diaspora in the GCC, including these two countries, Kuwait’s low cost carrier Jazeera Airways — which from Thursday started operating all its India flights from Saudi’s Dammam — expects to return to pre-war schedule of 24 weekly flights to eight cities here from the first week of April.

So how does travel happen in this current emergency arrangement? “Our guests from Kuwait check-in at the temporary terminal we have set up complete with customs and immigration at the land border. Then they board buses for Saudi Arabia under protection. At the Saudi land border, immigration and customs is cleared; transit visas issued. They then go to Dammam or Qaisumah Airport in Hafar Al Batin to fly out of there. Ditto on the way back,” Jazeera Airways Indian origin CEO Barathan Pasupathi told TOI Thursday.

Jazeera has sought India’s nod to temporarily operate to Kozhikode, Kannur, Tiruchilappali and Mangalore part from the eight cities it flies to here due to the travel demand between the two countries and with it being the only Kuwait carrier operating to India as of now. Given the devastation caused in the region, including Kuwait airport, Pasupathi sees the alternate travel arrangement to continue for a year even after the war ends. On Wednesday early morning, a fuel tank at the Kuwait International Airport was badly hit by Iran missiles.

“Kuwait’s population is 50 lakh and over 10 lakh are of Indian origin. Since Feb 28, there has been no civilian flight to and from Kuwait. We started operating from Saudi Arabis’s Qaisumah airport (from March 11). Given the demand for travel between the two countries, we resumed India flights (to Kochi) from March 20 and from Thursday we will have all flights to all eight destinations from Dammam. By the first week of April, we will go back to 24 weekly flights to and from eight Indian cities. We have sought India’s nod to temporarily fly to four more places as a temporary arrangement,” Pasupathi said.

IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa used to fly to Kuwait before Feb 28, when the airspace was closed along with that of neighbouring Bahrain. UAE allows some flights to and from places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah depending on the situation. Qatar recently started some repatriation flights of Qatar Airways. Only Saudi and Oman have regular flights in the GCC as of now.

“Being the only airline for passengers transporting passengers between Kuwait and India (since Kuwait Airways, Indian and other carriers are not operating as of now), there is huge demand for travel especially of the Indian diaspora. We are grateful to the Indian ambassador to Kuwait Paramita Tripathi and the Indian DGCA to help us get clearance for this special arrangement where we are operating from a second country due to the war. Their timely action has enabled travel of thousands of Indians,” Pasupathi said.