Air India Boosts West Asia Flights to 22 Amid Surging Travel Demand

In its statement, the carrier outlined its planned operations amid evolving travel demand and regional conditions. Air India will operate a total of four scheduled flights to and from Jeddah, with two services each from Delhi and Mumbai. In addition, the airline will fly two scheduled services between Mumbai and Riyadh.

Air India Express will complement these services, with four flights each to and from Muscat and Riyadh. The Muscat operations will include flights from Delhi and Mumbai, while the Riyadh services will originate from Bengaluru and Kozhikode, the statement said.

Alongside scheduled flights, both carriers will operate eight non-scheduled services to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), subject to slot availability and prevailing conditions at departure airports. These ad-hoc services will provide additional capacity and flexibility for travellers during the ongoing period of heightened demand.

The press release also included a detailed summary of scheduled, non-scheduled and temporarily suspended operations for 27 March, covering multiple West Asian countries. While scheduled services will continue between India and destinations such as Jeddah, Riyadh and Muscat, certain UAE airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will see only non-scheduled flights.

All other Air India flights connecting to North America, Europe, Australia and other global regions will operate as scheduled, the airline clarified.

To support affected passengers, Air India has provided guidance on rebooking and cancellations. "Guests booked to travel on any of the routes where Air India group's scheduled services remain temporarily suspended may conveniently rebook to a future date at no additional charge or opt for a full refund," the update said. Travellers can manage these changes via the airline's website or its 24x7 customer support helpline.

Air India Express customers holding bookings from UAE stations are similarly entitled to flexible rebooking options through available commercial flights back to India.

The carrier said it is actively exploring opportunities to operate additional ad-hoc flights in the West Asia region where feasible, reflecting efforts to maintain connectivity and meet passenger needs.

- ANI