New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) Around 5,72,000 passengers have returned from the West Asia region to India and with the Qatar airspace partially open, around 8–10 non-scheduled commercial flights are expected to operate to the country on Tuesday, the government said.

In the UAE, around 85 flights are expected to operate across the day. Limited non-scheduled flights continue based on operational and safety considerations. Flights continue to operate from Oman and Saudi Arabia to India, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Kuwait and Bahrain airspaces remain closed. Special non-scheduled commercial flights are operating from Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia to various destinations in India.

“In view of the airspace closure in Iran, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated through Armenia and Azerbaijan. In view of airspace restrictions in Israel, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated via Egypt and Jordan,” said the ministry.

In view of the airspace closure in Iraq, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated through Jordan and Saudi Arabia, it added.

Regular contact is being maintained with the Indian community in the region, with necessary assistance being extended and advisories issued for their safety and well-being.

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, all Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels was reported in the past 24 hours.

According to the government, 18 Indian-flagged vessels with 485 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region and DG Shipping, in coordination with ship owners, RPSL agencies and Indian Missions, is actively monitoring the situation.

DG Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of over 959 Indian seafarers so far, including 9 in the last 24 hours. Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion, with the state maritime boards of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry having confirmed smooth functioning.

–IANS

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