Chaos at Doha, Dubai airports, flyers stuck: Airlines resume Gulf, Europe flights; UAE, Qatar airspaces reopen

NEW DELHI: Flights to and from West Asian and European hubs resumed Tuesday after closures of UAE and Qatari airspaces triggered mass disruptions across global aviation late Monday night. Key airports - Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi - began reopening in the early hours, stabilising operations across the region.

West Asia is India's primary air corridor to the world, with Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi serving as essential transit points for millions of travellers. Air India said it would "progressively resume flights to the region starting Tuesday", with most Gulf operations expected to be back from June 25. Europe-bound flights, previously grounded, are also being reinstated, while services to the US East Coast and Canada "will resume at the earliest opportunity".

Hundreds of flights were affected Monday night as critical West Asian hubs, including Sharjah, shut down - a fallout of the Iran-Israel conflict.

Aircraft en route from Indian cities were diverted mid-air, returned to origin, or held on the tarmac as operators scrambled for clarity.

Major players serving the India-Gulf corridor - Emirates, IndiGo, Air India, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Akasa, SpiceJet, Air Arabia - reported widespread operational halts.

"Some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings or flight times," an Air India spokesperson said.

"We are committed to minimising disruptions and restoring schedule integrity. Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time."

Air India Express announced a staggered return starting Tuesday. Its first West Asia flight, Delhi to Muscat, was set to depart Tuesday, followed by routes from Mumbai, Kozhikode, and Jaipur to Muscat, Riyadh, and Jeddah. Flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, and other cities will resume Wednesday. "Guests are advised to check their flight status," the airline said.

IndiGo reported stabilised operations. "Flight operations into, out of, and through the Gulf countries have stabilised and are operating as scheduled. However, as airspace over Iran remains restricted, some flights may take alternative routes, which could result in longer travel times," the airline said.

Qatar Airways said operations resumed after Qatari airspace reopened. "Our focus is to help passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely. We are working tirelessly to restore operations," the airline said.


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