Flight Services to West Asia Rebound on Key Routes

Air connectivity between India and West Asia is steadily returning to normal as regional tensions ease, offering relief to airlines and passengers alike. Following the US strikes on Iran and airspace restrictions over Pakistan, airlines were forced to reroute flights, reduce frequencies and suspend several services. As a result, scheduled flights between India and West Asia dropped sharply from 9,793 in January to 5,552 in April. With the situation improving, the number of scheduled flights has recovered to 9,474 in July, while services to major hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Muscat are being restored.

Indian carriers were the worst affected by the disruption, but airlines including Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet are gradually expanding operations. Air India continues to operate fewer services due to additional safety measures. Aviation experts estimate that passenger capacity on India-Gulf routes could return to pre-conflict levels within five to eight weeks if stability continues. Analysts also expect international airfares to ease gradually once operations are fully restored and fuel prices remain stable.