Indian Embassy in Qatar on Monday, thanked Qatar Airways after a Doha-New Delhi flight operated by the airlines brought back over 300 stranded Indian passengers home. It also said that the airlines is planning three flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi.
“We are especially grateful to Qatar Airways for facilitating one urgent case of repatriation of mortal remains (death due to natural causes) of an Indian national and the travel of the family concerned on humanitarian grounds. We also thank the Indian community volunteers for their assistance to the family concerned,” the Indian Embassy’s post on X read.
The development comes amid the ongoing Israel-US-Iran conflict which led to massive disruptions in flight operations – impacting services to and from Gulf destinations.
Track the latest flight updates here
The ongoing conflict crippled Dubai and Doha airports, two of the world’s busiest transit hubs, stranded tens of thousands of passengers and forced airlines to cancel about 40,000 flights – the travel industry’s biggest disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioned a report by Reuters.
Qatar Airways planning 3 flights
Indian Embassy in Qatar said the Qatar Airways is planning to operate 3 flights on Tuesday, 10 March, to:
Flights from Saudi Arabia
The Embassy also said that the option to travel to Saudi Arabia via Salwa border crossing remains available for those who hold a valid Saudi visa.
“Several Indians have traveled to Saudi Arabia for taking flights to India from Saudi Arabia since the conflict started. The Embassy has also been taking up cases of stranded passengers for requesting Saudi visas. We thank Qatari and Saudi authorities for the same,” said the consulate.
Global airline ops hit; airfares surge
The airspace closures have disrupted global airline operations and hit aviation stocks.
Airfares between Asia and Europe have surged, while several carriers — including Wizz Air and Lufthansa — have rerouted flights to avoid the region. Meanwhile, Ryanair has reported increased demand for short-haul flights as many Europeans opt for destinations closer to home during the Easter holiday period, reuters reported on Monday.
Jet fuel prices, the second-largest cost for airlines after labor, have also surged — in some cases doubling since the conflict began — adding further financial pressure on carriers.
