Both airlines will maintain their regular services to Jeddah and Muscat on that day. A total of 10 flights are scheduled between India and Jeddah. Air India will offer one return service each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will operate one service each from Bengaluru, Kozhikode, and Mangalore.
For Muscat, Air India Express will conduct 12 scheduled flights on March 16. This includes one flight each from Delhi, Kannur, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram, along with two flights from Kochi.
These operations are part of both carriers’ ongoing initiatives to preserve connectivity between India and essential destinations in West Asia in response to heightened passenger demand.
In addition, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has provided temporary relaxations in pilot flight duty time limitations (FDTL) for Air India. This decision comes as ongoing airspace restrictions over parts of West Asia, including the closure over Iran and Iraq, continue to affect global flight operations.
As a result, airlines have been required to reroute flights through longer corridors, leading to significant increases in flight times for certain international routes.
(Edited by : Priyanka Deshpande)
