New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Domestic airlines including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet on Friday began gradually restoring limited flight operations to and from the Middle East, while thousands of services remain cancelled amid continuing airspace restrictions tied to the US-Israel and Iran war.

IndiGo said it will operate 17 departures (34 sectors) on Friday to eight Middle East destinations and is working with government authorities to resume services safely.

Air India and Air India Express announced resuming flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat after authorities confirmed that Saudi’s and Oman’s airspaces were open, according to multiple reports.

SpiceJet said it will operate special flights from the United Arab Emirates to India on March 6 and 7, with additional services on March 8 to ease passenger movement amid the conflict.

IndiGo said passengers booked on its flights will be contacted directly, only after which they should go to airports.

Air India also announced ad‑hoc repatriation flights from hubs including Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah on March 6 subject to regulatory approvals.

It said scheduled services to other West Asia destinations remain suspended until March 10, and passengers with tickets issued until March 4 for travel between February 28 and March 8 can rebook within one month without extra charges or fare differences.

According to industry data, traffic at Dubai International Airport nearly doubled on Thursday compared with the previous day to 25 per cent of normal levels.

Data also showed that from February 28 to March 5, over 44,000 flights were scheduled to operate in and out of the Middle East, with over 25,000 flights cancelled so far.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had earlier informed it was coordinating with airlines and related agencies and had activated a Passenger Assistance Control Room to assist stranded travellers.

The Ministry is in continuous touch with airlines and is closely monitoring airfares to ensure that there is no undue surge in ticket prices during this period, a statement had said.

—IANS

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