Air India Group to Operate 80 Flights Amid Middle East Tensions

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, the airline said in a statement.

Additionally, Air India will operate one round-trip from Delhi and two round-trips from Mumbai to Jeddah while 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 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," said the airline.

Air India group said it is exploring every opportunity to operate other additional ad-hoc flights to and from destinations in West Asia.

Meanwhile, IndiGo has announced that it will introduce a fuel surcharge on both domestic and international flight tickets starting March 14, following a sharp rise in aviation turbine fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.

In a statement, the airline said the surcharge will range between Rs 425 and Rs 2,300 depending on the domestic and international route.

The move comes as airlines face increasing operating costs due to the surge in jet fuel prices amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region.

Earlier, Air India and Air India Express also announced the introduction of a fuel surcharge on flight tickets. According to the airline group, a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 per ticket on domestic flights came into effect from March 12. The same surcharge also applies to flights to destinations in the South Asian region.

For international routes, the surcharge will vary depending on the destination. Flights to West Asia will carry an additional charge of $10 per ticket, while passengers travelling to Africa will see the surcharge increase by $30 to $90. Services to Southeast Asia will attract a surcharge ranging between $20 and $60.

- IANS