Gulf routes closed: How the Iran-Israel war is stranding Indian travellers and expatriate workers

Indian airlines cancelled 350 flights on Sunday, March 1, 2026, as airspace restrictions linked to escalating military conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt international aviation operations for the second consecutive day. The cancellations affected services operated by Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, with disruptions recorded at major airports across India including Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, Cochin International Airport in Kochi, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, confirmed the cancellations in a post on social media platform X at 1634 hours Indian Standard Time on March 1. The ministry attributed the cancellations directly to airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East and stated that it was closely coordinating with airlines, airport operators, and other stakeholders to monitor the situation and facilitate passenger support.

Earlier on Sunday, at 0125 hours Indian Standard Time, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had posted that 444 international flights were expected to be cancelled due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East. On February 28, 2026, the ministry confirmed 410 cancellations for that day. The three-day cumulative cancellation total for Indian domestic carriers reflects the sustained operational impact of the regional conflict on Indian aviation, which is among the most dependent of any major national aviation market on Middle Eastern air corridors.

What triggered the Middle East airspace closures affecting Indian flights on March 1, 2026?

The immediate trigger for the airspace closures was a series of coordinated military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets inside Iran on February 28, 2026. The strikes followed a period during which Iran and the United States had been engaged in diplomatic negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran pledged a retaliatory response and subsequently launched strikes on targets in Israel and across the broader region.

At least eight countries declared closure of their national airspace in the hours following the initial strikes, including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Syria announced a partial airspace closure in its southern region along the border with Israel for 12 hours. The closures shut down a contiguous air corridor stretching from the eastern Mediterranean through the Arabian Gulf, a zone that serves as a critical transit region for international aviation connecting Asia, Europe, and North America.

The United States President stated publicly that the strikes were intended to destroy Iran’s missile production capacity and its naval forces. The exchange of strikes between state actors across a region that handles a disproportionate share of global civil aviation traffic, due to the geographic centrality of Gulf aviation hubs including Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, and Abu Dhabi International Airport, created immediate and widespread disruptions across airline networks worldwide.

Why are Indian airlines more affected by West Asia airspace closures than European carriers in March 2026?

Indian carriers face a structural routing disadvantage relative to European carriers in navigating around the Middle East conflict zone, a disadvantage that stems directly from the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines following Operation Sindoor in 2025.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin, designated CZIB No. 2026-03, warning of heightened risks to civil aviation in the affected region and restricting use of certain airspace segments, including segments over Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman, for third-country carriers flying routes to and from Europe. Indian carriers are classified as third-country carriers under this framework and are therefore subject to these restrictions.

European airlines are subject to the same Conflict Zone Information Bulletin advisories but retain the operational option of rerouting via Pakistani airspace, accessing northern corridors that add relatively limited additional distance to their flight paths. Indian carriers have no equivalent alternative. Since Pakistani airspace was closed to Indian airlines following Operation Sindoor in 2025, Indian carriers cannot overfly Pakistan to access routing toward Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe via northern corridors.

This asymmetry means Indian airlines must either cancel services to affected destinations or accept flight paths that add between 90 minutes and three hours of additional flying time per sector, with corresponding increases in fuel consumption that disrupt crew scheduling and cascade across entire network timetables. European carriers can largely absorb the loss of Iranian and other Middle Eastern airspace by pivoting to northern routing; Indian carriers cannot.

How did Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, and SpiceJet respond to the airspace closure on March 1, 2026?

Air India confirmed on the morning of March 1, 2026, that it had cancelled 22 international flights on that day, in addition to 28 cancellations announced on February 28. Routes cancelled by Air India on March 1 included the Mumbai to London Heathrow service and the Delhi to Birmingham service. Air India stated in a post on platform X that close monitoring and careful assessment of the evolving situation in the Middle East had necessitated further curtailment of scheduled operations, and that the safety and security of customers and crew remained the airline’s highest priority. Air India extended full fare flexibility for bookings made on or before February 28, 2026, for travel scheduled through March 5, 2026, permitting passengers to reschedule without additional charge or to claim a full refund.

Air India Express extended the suspension of its flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates through 2359 hours Indian Standard Time on March 2, 2026.

SpiceJet confirmed through a post on platform X that 33 of its flights to and from the United Arab Emirates had been cancelled. IndiGo extended its temporary suspension of select international flights that use Middle East airspace through March 2, 2026, describing the move as a precautionary measure to uphold safety standards. IndiGo said customers on affected services could claim full refunds or opt for alternate flights, and extended booking waivers for impacted travel through March 7, 2026, for bookings made on or before February 28. Across the three-day period from February 28 through March 1, 2026, IndiGo alone cancelled more than 350 flights.

Emirates airline temporarily suspended operations from Dubai International Airport. Qatar Airways suspended flights following the closure of Qatari national airspace. Flydubai confirmed that several of its services were affected on February 28 due to sudden airspace closures. Oman Air suspended all flights to Baghdad citing security concerns.

What is the impact on Indian diaspora and Gulf-based Indian expatriate workers from the suspension of flights?

The suspension of services by Air India Express is particularly significant for the large Indian expatriate workforce employed across Gulf Cooperation Council member states. Millions of Indian nationals work in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. Air India Express operates a high-frequency network of direct flights connecting secondary Indian cities to Gulf destinations and serves as a primary carrier for this population. The suspension of Air India Express services leaves Gulf-based Indian expatriates without their principal low-cost direct routing options at a time when many were attempting to travel for emergencies or to return to workplaces following the disruption.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation established a 24-hour, seven-day Passenger Assistance Control Room to coordinate responses to the evolving airspace restrictions and review airport preparedness. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation maintained close coordination with airlines to ensure full compliance with safety and operational regulations. The Ministry of Civil Aviation advised all passengers to check their flight status directly with their respective airlines before proceeding to airports and to remain in contact with airlines for updated information on rebooking and refund options.

The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said that foreign nationals in India who were required to alter their travel plans due to the West Asia situation and who needed visa extensions should contact the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office for assistance.

Aviation analysts noted that even if military hostilities de-escalate within 48 to 72 hours, the operational disruption to global aviation is likely to persist for several weeks as airlines work to reintegrate cancelled and rerouted flights into their networks. Rerouted flights avoiding the conflict zone are adding between 90 minutes and three hours of additional sector time, with corresponding increases in fuel consumption. Airlines are expected to pass additional operating costs on to passengers in the form of higher fares on affected routes in the coming weeks.

What the Middle East airspace closure and Indian flight cancellations on March 1, 2026 mean for aviation, geopolitics, and Indian carriers

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, confirmed 350 flight cancellations by Indian domestic carriers on March 1, 2026, following 410 cancellations on February 28, with the disruptions directly caused by airspace closures across Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates after United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran.

• Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air suspended or curtailed services across Middle East routes, with Air India cancelling at least 50 international flights over two days and IndiGo cancelling more than 350 flights across three days; airlines offered full refunds and rebooking flexibility for affected passengers.

• Indian carriers face a compounded structural disadvantage relative to European carriers because Pakistani airspace remains closed to Indian airlines following Operation Sindoor in 2025, eliminating northern rerouting options available to European airlines under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB No. 2026-03.

• Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, and other Gulf aviation hubs central to Indian international travel and Indian expatriate movement to and from Gulf Cooperation Council member states have been disrupted, with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Flydubai, and Oman Air among regional carriers also suspending or reducing operations.

• Aviation industry analysts indicate that even a rapid military de-escalation is unlikely to resolve the logistical disruption within less than several weeks, with rerouting costs expected to increase ticket prices on affected sectors as airlines absorb additional fuel and crew costs from extended flight paths of 90 minutes to three hours per sector.