Indian carrier Air India announced on Sunday that it will operate 78 additional flights across nine international routes between 10 and 18 March 2026, aimed at supporting passengers affected by the ongoing tensions in West Asia.
The airline said the extra services would connect major international destinations, including New York (JFK), London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Colombo, and Malé, adding a total of 17,660 seats across the nine routes in both directions.
The additional flights cover Delhi-New York (JFK), Delhi-London (Heathrow), and Mumbai-London (Heathrow), providing much-needed capacity at a time when travel options remain limited. Further services will operate from Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Malé, and Colombo to Delhi.
European routes will be operated using Boeing 787-8 aircraft, while flights to Colombo and Malé will utilise A320neo aircraft. Services to New York (JFK) are subject to regulatory approvals and are expected to operate with Air India’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet.
“Despite the odds, Air India continues to maintain its scheduled services to Europe and North America, sustaining connectivity to several international gateways using alternative routings that are assessed as safe for operations,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India.
He added, “We are confident that passengers in need to travel to destinations in these regions will appreciate the additional options and reliability with Air India.”
The airline had earlier announced extra non-scheduled flights on 8 March to navigate continuing airspace restrictions in parts of West Asia. These included additional services between Delhi, Mumbai, and Dubai, as well as 30 extra flights operated by Air India Express connecting Indian cities with UAE destinations including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah.
(With IANS inputs)
