- Major Indian airlines suspended Middle East flights due to escalating Iran-Israel conflict airspace restrictions.
- Over 350 flights were cancelled on March 1 alone, impacting approximately 60,000 stranded passengers.
- Services will not resume until a ceasefire is established, forcing lengthy and expensive flight rerouting.
(INDIA) — Flights in and out of parts of the Middle East remain heavily disrupted from India today, and stranded passengers at major airports say they’re being told a blunt message: services won’t restart until a ceasefire is in place in the Iran-Israel conflict. For travelers, that means you should assume more cancellations, longer routings, and limited same-day rebooking until key airspace restrictions ease.
Airline staff and airport authorities have been pointing to continuing airspace closures and restrictions over Iran, Iraq, and parts of the Gulf region. Those closures are forcing carriers to suspend some services outright, while pushing others onto longer, more fuel-heavy detours that can break aircraft and crew schedules quickly.
What travelers are being told at Indian airports
At Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, passengers headed to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and even onward itineraries to Italy reported being advised that operations are suspended until a ceasefire is established. The airport has also set up a dedicated help desk at Terminal 2 kerbside, Level 3, to triage impacted travelers.
Passenger accounts from other airports echo the same uncertainty. One traveler described being stuck after a Bahrain connection fell apart, with work and housing waiting overseas and no clear restart date offered on the ground. In Mumbai, some transit passengers bound for the U.S. via Bahrain reported cancellations without prior notice and few immediate rebooking options.
Airport-by-airport pressure points, and where to get help
The disruption footprint is broad. Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsar, and Tiruchirappalli are among the airports seeing repeated waves of cancellations, crowded terminals, and long queues at airline counters.
Bengaluru appears to be one of the clearer setups for in-person assistance right now, thanks to that Terminal 2 kerbside help desk. Elsewhere, travelers have described moving between counters and call centers without firm timelines for when suspended routes will return.
Airlines and airports are also leaning on self-service tools for updates, including airline websites and WhatsApp-based chat support. That’s helpful when it works, but it can also shift the burden onto you at the worst moment, especially if you’re trying to protect a tight onward connection or a visa appointment.
How big is the disruption on March 1, 2026?
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said 350 flights operated by Indian carriers were cancelled on March 1, down from an earlier expectation of 444. The day before, Feb. 28, the cancellation count reached 410.
India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, is coordinating with airlines with safety as the overriding priority. That coordination matters because these disruptions don’t behave like weather delays. When airspace is constrained, there may be no safe or legal workaround.
Which airlines are suspending what right now
Several carriers have published or operationalized route suspensions and temporary bans tied to the conflict-driven airspace situation.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the most concrete actions described by passengers, airports, and airline communications:
| Airline | What’s disrupted | Notable details and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Air India | Middle East flying suspended; knock-on cancellations on long-haul routes | Cancellations include AI161/AI162 (Delhi–London Heathrow), AI111/AI112 (Delhi–London), and AI142/AI147 (Delhi–Paris). Bans tied to UAE/Saudi/Israel/Qatar extended until 23:59 IST March 2. |
| Air India Express | Large-scale cancellations | Over 110 flights cancelled. Gulf westbound suspension extended until 23:59 IST March 1. |
| IndiGo | Doha and UAE routes cancelled | Example: 6E 1307/1308 (Delhi–Doha) cancelled. Amritsar saw multiple disruptions, including diversions. |
| SpiceJet | Disruptions tied to Gulf flying | Amritsar was hit, including a Dubai service that was reportedly recalled midair. |
| Emirates | Dubai operations suspended (select timing) | Dubai flying suspended until 15:00 UAE time March 2. |
For travelers, the key point is that these aren’t isolated cancellations. When a carrier pauses a region, it can also cascade into Europe and U.K. flying, especially when aircraft rotations were planned through Gulf hubs.
What this means for miles, points, and elite status
If you booked with miles, today’s chaos can be frustrating but also slightly easier to manage. Award tickets typically reprice cleanly into refunds, and many programs allow redeposit with reduced or waived fees during major disruptions.
If you’re chasing elite status, pay attention to what your airline counts as “flown.” A cancelled trip won’t earn segments or spend credit. That can matter in March, when many frequent flyers start mapping out annual status runs.
Also check your credit card travel protections. Trip delay coverage can reimburse meals and hotels if your delay meets the card’s threshold and your ticket was charged to that card. Keep receipts, and get a written cancellation notice when possible.
⚠️ Heads Up: If you accept a refund, your airline may treat the trip as cancelled by you. Rebooking options can narrow after that.
On-the-ground support, waivers, and crowd control
With an estimated 60,000 passengers stranded nationwide, airlines are leaning on a mix of meal and hotel vouchers, flexible rebooking, refunds, and change-fee waivers. Airports have reported congestion and chaotic lines, and MoCA says senior officials have been deployed to manage crowds and handle diversions.
The practical reality is that rebooking options can be thin if entire city-pairs are paused. In those cases, you may need to choose between waiting for the same airline, routing via a different hub, or taking a refund and re-planning.
If your itinerary touches the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, or Iraq airspace routings, treat 23:59 IST on March 2 as a key checkpoint for Air India’s current extension, and re-check your flight status before you leave for the airport.
