With the war in the Middle East showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, Indian airlines are exploring “safe airports” to bring back stranded nationals from the war-torn region, sources told India Today. The carriers are in touch with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for shortlisting these “safe airports” after most of the Gulf countries closed their airspace to civilian flights after the conflict began last week.
Sources said Indian operators have already planned their flights from Jeddah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dubai, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi. Till March 5, a total of 14,992 stranded passengers have been brought back to India. However, thousands of Indians are still stranded across the Middle East.
On Saturday, Air India and Air India Express will operate 51 flights to repatriate stranded passengers from Jeddah, Riyadh, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is also set to restart a limited number of flights to the Middle East on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said it was in touch with airlines to ensure there was no undue surge in ticket prices amid the crisis. It is also coordinating other stakeholders to facilitate passenger movement and minimise disruption.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN IRAN WAR SO FAR?
Israel and the United States jointly attacked several locations in Iran on February 28. These strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. The attack came even as Iran and the US were negotiating a nuclear agreement.
Following the Israeli-US attack, Tehran and its proxies, Hezbollah and the Houthis, retaliated by firing missiles towards Tel Aviv and US bases in Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. The retaliatory attacks widened the war to engulf the Middle East region.
Moreover, Iran also shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint responsible for 20% of the global oil trade, triggering a surge in global energy prices.
Beyond the Middle East, the conflict briefly entered the Indian Ocean region after a US Navy submarine sank an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, off the coast of Sri Lanka. The frigate, which recently attended a naval exercise hosted by India, lost 87 of its servicemen.
So far, at least 1,332 Iranians have been killed, according to Iran’s UN ambassador. Iranian attacks, on the other hand, have killed 11 people in Israel and at least six US service members.
Meanwhile, Israel has expanded the war in Lebanon, pounding Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the capital’s southern suburbs. Israel says its bombing in Lebanon aims to root out Hezbollah.
US President Donald Trump has sought Iran’s “unconditional surrender” even as there is growing uncertainty over how long the hostilities will continue.
