Mangaluru, Mar 10: Air connectivity between Mangaluru and the Gulf has been sharply reduced amid escalating tensions in West Asia, though limited services continue to operate. Air India Express maintained its Mangaluru–Muscat–Mangaluru flight, even as airlines significantly scaled down operations to several destinations in the region due to the volatile situation.

Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express have confirmed that several services to key Gulf destinations will run as planned on March 10. Among them is the Mangaluru–Muscat flight (IX817 / IX818), which remains part of the airline’s regular schedule.

Airspace over Saudi Arabia and Oman remains open, allowing limited operations to continue. According to reports, Air India and Air India Express together will operate 14 flights to and from Jeddah, while Air India Express will run 14 services to and from Muscat from various Indian cities, including Mangaluru.

Apart from the Muscat route, Air India Express has also scheduled Jeddah flights from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mangaluru and Kozhikode. The Mangaluru–Jeddah–Mangaluru service (IX845 / IX846) is also listed among the day’s operations.

For Muscat, the airline is operating flights from several Indian cities including Delhi, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli and Mangaluru, ensuring connectivity with Oman despite the volatile regional situation.

To manage passenger demand and operational challenges, the Air India group has also planned 32 additional non-scheduled flights between India and the United Arab Emirates on March 10. These special flights will operate subject to airport slot availability and operational clearances from regulatory authorities.

Air India will operate 10 extra services to and from Dubai, including three round trips from Mumbai and two from Delhi. Air India Express will also add a round trip each from Mumbai and Bengaluru to Dubai.

The budget carrier is further expanding connectivity with 18 additional flights to other UAE destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, linking cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Kochi and Mumbai.

However, due to the uncertain situation in parts of West Asia, the Air India group has suspended several scheduled services to certain regional destinations until March 13, 2026. Passengers affected by cancellations have been offered the option to reschedule their travel without additional charges or receive a full refund.

Travellers can process rebooking or cancellation requests through the airlines’ official websites, while Air India Express passengers departing from UAE airports may rebook on other available commercial flights to India.