Iran-Israel War: Amid the escalating Middle East crisis, Air India and Air India Express have announced that they will continue operating flights to and from West Asia on Saturday. The two airlines are scheduled to run around 80 scheduled and non-scheduled services connecting India with destinations in the region despite the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Both carriers will maintain their regular operations to and from Jeddah and Muscat on March 14. Overall, 10 flights are scheduled between India and Jeddah, while Air India Express will operate eight scheduled services connecting Indian cities with Muscat.
Air India will operate one round trip from Delhi and two round trips from Mumbai to Jeddah. Meanwhile, Air India Express will operate one flight each from Kozhikode and Mangaluru to Jeddah and back.
Air India Express will also continue its scheduled Muscat services, operating one round trip each from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode and Mumbai.
Apart from the scheduled operations, the two airlines plan to operate 62 additional non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, depending on the availability of slots and other operational conditions at the departure airports.
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The airline group said these flights are being operated with the necessary approvals from Indian authorities and relevant regulators in the destination countries. It also noted that it is exploring further opportunities to run additional air services to and from West Asian destinations.
Meanwhile, Air India and Air India Express have introduced a fuel surcharge on flight tickets. According to the airline group, a surcharge of ₹399 per ticket on domestic flights came into effect from March 12, and the same charge also applies to routes within the South Asian region.
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For international routes, the surcharge will vary depending on the destination. Flights to West Asia will carry an additional charge of 10 dollars per ticket, while passengers travelling to Africa will see the surcharge increase by 30 dollars to 90 dollars. Services to Southeast Asia will attract a surcharge ranging between 20 dollars and 60 dollars.