Latest news with #Dubai-bound


Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Middle East conflict: Flights resume, passengers relieved as airlines restore operations
AFTER THE disruption caused by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, major Indian airlines have begun resuming flights from Wednesday, offering relief to hundreds of affected travellers. Carriers including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet had earlier suspended or rerouted services as a safety measure, but with conditions gradually stabilising, operations are being cautiously restored. Apoorva, an Air India official, said the suspensions were necessary due to security concerns linked to the conflict. 'With the situation now stabilising, we have resumed operations on certain routes. Passenger communication, rebooking, and refunds are being handled as per protocol,' the official said. SpiceJet spokesperson said, 'Flight operations to the Middle East have now returned to normal. We're operating smoothly and even resumed our flights from the 25th.' Dr Santosh, a passenger who was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad to London on Air India flight AI 159, shared his experience, 'I was supposed to fly on Tuesday morning at 5:30, but due to the situation in the Middle East, our flight got cancelled. It was stressful because I thought I would miss important business work in London. Now that the flights have resumed, I feel a huge sense of relief. I'm thankful that operations are slowly returning to normal.' Among the routes affected earlier this week were Pune-Singapore and Bengaluru-Singapore, both of which were temporarily suspended by Air India until at least July 15. The airline had also halted its Mumbai-Bagdogra route and reduced frequencies on 19 other major domestic and short-haul international routes. Routes such as Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Kolkata, and Delhi-Goa saw temporary frequency cuts. Despite the cuts, Air India continued operating nearly 600 daily flights and had assured passengers that it was working proactively to offer re-accommodation, complimentary rescheduling, or full refunds. With the easing of tension in some regions, the airline has now begun restoring schedules in a phased manner. IndiGo, which had suspended flights to and from over a dozen Middle Eastern cities including Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, and Jeddah, also resumed select services on Wednesday. The airline continues to assess the situation closely in coordination with aviation authorities and is gradually reactivating affected routes where safe. Meanwhile, in a stark reminder of the seriousness of the situation, a Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight from Pune was forced to return mid-air early Monday morning. Flight SG-51 had taken off from Pune International Airport around 9:54 pm but returned shortly after crossing Indian airspace due to the escalating conflict in the region. While the airspace over conflict-affected zones remains under watch, Indian carriers have reiterated that passenger safety remains their top priority. Flyers are advised to check real-time updates via airline websites or apps and ensure their contact details are updated for timely alerts. With phased resumptions now underway, airlines are cautiously optimistic about returning to full operations, provided the geopolitical environment continues to stabilise.


The Sun
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Batik Air flight to Dubai returns due to Middle East conflict
PETALING JAYA: A Batik Air flight bound for Dubai from Kuala Lumpur was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) early today due to airspace closures in the Middle East. The decision followed safety advisories amid escalating regional tensions. In a statement, today, Batik Air confirmed that flight OD713 was rerouted as a precautionary measure, complying with international aviation guidelines. The airline stated, 'The precautionary measure for OD713 was taken in full compliance with international aviation safety advisories and route restrictions issued by the relevant authorities.' Passengers on the affected flight were provided with hotel accommodations, meals, and transport assistance upon arrival at KLIA. Those impacted were given the choice to either cancel their bookings for a full refund or rebook on the next available flight. Qatar and the UAE have since reopened their airspace, allowing commercial flights to resume normal operations. Batik Air announced plans to restart Dubai-bound flights tomorrow, emphasizing its commitment to passenger safety through contingency planning and real-time route assessments. The airline added, 'We are closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical developments and remain in active coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, international regulators, and regional air navigation service providers.' The airspace disruptions followed recent military actions, including Iran's missile strikes on a US base in Doha. Earlier this month, key Middle Eastern flight paths were also affected after Israel launched attacks on Iran.


Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
SpiceJet's Dubai flight returns to Pune
1 2 Pune: The closure of airspace in the Gulf, including that of Qatar and the UAE, resulted in a Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight returning to the city a short while after take-off on Monday evening. The SpiceJet flight (SG-51) had taken off from the city at 9.54pm. "It returned to Pune because of the airspace closure," a spokesperson of the airline said. According to sources, the flight had close to 100 passengers. The Pune airport has two connections to Dubai— one of SpiceJet and the other of IndiGo. The latter flies at 12.50am. A flyer wrote on social media that the flight was on air for a very short while before the "turnback" was announced. "Many other passengers and I didn't understand the reason for a while, but later came to know about it," he wrote. The IndiGo spokesperson didn't respond to TOI's WhatsApp message enquiring about its Pune-Dubai flight, but a message of the airline on X said, "In view of the evolving situation in the Middleeast, some of our flights may experience delays or diversions. These adjustments are being made to ensure operations remain within safe and compliant airspace. We recommend checking your flight status regularly. If your flight is impacted, options can be easily explored through our website. We continue to monitor the situation closely in coordination with the relevant authorities. We appreciate your patience and understanding."


Mint
23-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Airlines Suspend Gulf Flights as War Disruptions Reach Dubai
Major global airlines extended flight cancellations to the Persian Gulf, disrupting air traffic to critical hubs such as Dubai after the US struck nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran vowed to retaliate. Singapore Airlines Ltd. said it would suspend service to Dubai until Wednesday night and warned more flights could be scrapped. British Airways temporarily added cancellations for Dubai and Doha, while Dutch carrier KLM said it suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia until further notice. The airlines' decisions highlight the potential for a widening of the war between Israel and Iran after US President Donald Trump joined the fight by attacking Iran's nuclear sites. The dramatic escalation risks retaliation, potentially disrupting economies that had previously been shielded from the fallout of regional hostilities. Sign up for our breaking news alerts for the latest developments on the Israel-Iran war. Dubai, home to Emirates, and Doha, the capital of Qatar and its namesake airline, are major travel hubs that handle much of the traffic within the Middle East and form a crossroads for long-haul travel between Asia, Europe and North America. They had avoided previous suspensions that were contained to countries surrounding Israel and the skies over nations where Iran's missiles pass. Prior to the US strikes on Sunday, Tehran threatened to hit US bases in the Persian Gulf should Washington get involved, and close down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil-trade waterway bordering with the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Qatar hosts the largest US base in the region, while Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. 'A widening conflict around the Strait of Hormuz could threaten to disrupt global airline traffic, particularly if flight restrictions to key transfer hubs in Qatar and the UAE were to occur,' Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Zhu and George Ferguson wrote in a note. Excluding local carriers, Indian airlines including IndiGo, Turkish Airlines and British Airways are among the most exposed, they wrote. Shares of the major network carriers fell, including Air France-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and BA parent IAG SA in Europe. United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. declined in US trading. Singapore Airlines has halted flights to Dubai from the city-state since Sunday over security concerns. British Airways diverted a Dubai-bound flight to Zurich after it reached Saudi Arabia's airspace in the early hours of Sunday, according to data from Flightradar24. Another jet returned to Heathrow after going as far as Egypt. The London-based carrier earlier halted routes to Bahrain through the end of the month due to operational constraints and airspace restrictions. With no clear view on next steps, some companies began to take precautions. Japan's biggest banks are considering evacuating employees, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. beginning to pull out the families of staff. Japan's biggest bank has also halted unnecessary travel in and out of the region. Asian airlines have also taken steps to safeguard passengers and crews. Japan Airlines Co. plans to have flights between Tokyo's Haneda airport and Doha avoid airspace above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, adding about 20 minutes to journeys. Air India Ltd. will progressively avoid the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days. The actions follow Trump's decision to undertake the US' first direct military action against Iran after decades of hostility, pushing the Middle East into uncharted territory. The possibility of further disruption will depend on how forcefully Iran retaliates. Trump has threatened more attacks if Tehran doesn't capitulate. Even before the US strikes, several American and European airlines had paused flights to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar after Israel started bombarding Iran. The skies over large swaths of the Middle East have been restricted several times during the past 20 months, making flying through Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran difficult. The closures have forced airlines to cancel flights on profitable routes, spend more on jet fuel and pass through countries they usually avoid like Afghanistan, as they avoid dangerous skies. It has also meant hundreds of disrupted flights and thousands of stranded passengers. Israel has started to allow outbound flights after halting them since its latest attacks on Iran starting June 13. Tel Aviv is expected to let about 1,000 passengers per day leave the country from Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa. The flights, which have a strict limit of 50 passengers per plane to prevent too many people from congregating and presenting a major target at the airport. The government will prioritize foreigners, diplomats and nationals needing to evacuate for life-saving or humanitarian reasons. The UK is organizing a chartered flight for British nationals who want to leave Israel, while Germany sent a military transport plane to extract citizens and France said it also plans repatriation flights. 'Everything depends on how long this lasts,' Ziad Daoud, chief emerging markets economist at Bloomberg Economics, said of the fallout from the flight cancellations. 'If there was a stoppage of flights for a day or two, there won't be an impact, but if this is a prolonged thing then obviously it's an issue.' Dubai airport deferred all queries to the emirate's media office who said the hub remains fully operational for the time being, with the vast majority of flights running on schedule. With assistance from Danny Lee, Siddharth Philip, Nicholas Takahashi, Mihir Mishra and Dan Williams. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
British, Singapore airlines halt Gulf flights after Iran strike
Singapore Airlines warned that other flights between Singapore and the emirates may be affected 'as the situation remains fluid.' PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO British Airways and Singapore Airlines cancelled flights to the Persian Gulf, increasing aviation disruptions in the region after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran vowed to retaliate. London-based British Airways carrier cancelled several flights to Dubai and diverted two planes bound for the emirate overnight, according to data from Flightradar24. One flight took off from Heathrow Airport June 21 night and was diverted to Zurich after it reached Saudi Arabia's airspace in the early hours of June 22, according to the flight tracking site. Another Dubai-bound jet returned to Heathrow after going as far as Egypt. The carrier also cancelled flights to Qatar's capital Doha on June 22 and halted routes to Bahrain through the end of the month due to operational constraints and airspace restrictions. British Airways said it has adjusted its flight schedule as a result of recent events to ensure the safety of customers and crew. Singapore Airlines said on June 22 it cancelled two flights between Singapore and Dubai, warning in an advisory that other flights between the South-east Asian country and the emirates may be affected 'as the situation remains fluid.' Several American and European airlines paused flights to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar last week after Israel started bombarding Iran. The moves highlight growing worries in a slice of the Middle East that is typically considered safe and sheltered from regional dislocations. US President Donald Trump said American bombers struck Iran's three main nuclear sites on June 22 and threatened more attacks if Tehran doesn't capitulate, pulling the US directly into the country's conflict with Israel despite his longtime promises to avoid new wars. Iran has threatened to hit US bases in the Persian Gulf if Washington gets involved and close down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trade waterway it borders with the UAE and Oman. Qatar hosts the largest US base in the region, while Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Bahrain said on June 22 that it is activating remote work for 70 per cent of all government ministries and departments in light of regional developments. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.