Air Canada Halts Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions, Boosts Delhi Routes

The airlines said that they will resume their flight operations when safe passage is ensured. The airlines further said that it will continue to add to its capacity to Delhi to provide travellers with options to Canada.

"Due to unrest in the Middle East, our Toronto-Dubai flights are cancelled until at least May 1. We plan to reintroduce service gradually when flights can safely resume. We continue to add capacity to Delhi to provide travellers with options to Canada," Air Canada said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 80 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from the West Asia region on March 14, the airline said.

According to a press release, the two carriers continue to operate their respective scheduled services to and from Jeddah and Muscat on March 14, operating a total of 10 flights to and from Jeddah and Air India Express operating 8 scheduled flights to and from Muscat.

Additionally, Air India will operate one round-trip from Delhi and two round-trips from Mumbai to Jeddah. Air India Express will operate one flight each from Kozhikode and Mangaluru to Jeddah and back.

Air India Express will also operate its scheduled services to Muscat, including one round-trip each from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode and Mumbai.

In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 62 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, subject to the availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time.

These flights are being operated with the requisite permissions from the relevant Indian and local regulatory authorities.

Earlier, nearly 500 Indian nationals travelled from Qatar to India and other global destinations on flights operated by Qatar Airways, the Indian Embassy in Doha said in an advisory.

In a post on X, the embassy on Friday said the passengers travelled on Qatar Airways flights to Kochi and other destinations. The airline also facilitated the transportation of the mortal remains of two Indian nationals who died of natural causes, along with their accompanying family members, to Kochi on humanitarian grounds.

The embassy said Qatar's airspace is only partially open, resulting in limited flight operations by Qatar Airways.

The limited flight operations follow an escalating West Asia security crisis, triggered by Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting US military bases, embassies, and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.

The conflict has caused significant disruptions to global energy supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, where approximately 20 per cent of the world's oil transits.

- ANI