Kochi, 03 March (H.S.): Flight services between Kochi and Muscat resumed on Tuesday morning, bringing relief to hundreds of stranded passengers amid ongoing disruptions across the Gulf region. Oman Air restarted its Kochi–Muscat service, with the first flight departing at 8:10 a.m. Air India Express also resumed operations on the sector, while Air India relaunched its Muscat service from Tiruchirappalli. Another Air India flight to Muscat is scheduled to depart India at 1:45 p.m., with six flights planned from various Indian cities during the day.
The inbound Oman Air flight from Muscat landed in Kochi at 7:40 a.m. Meanwhile, Salam Air from Muscat and Flynas from Riyadh have also resumed return operations to Kerala.
However, disruptions continue at several airports. At Calicut International Airport (Karipur), 40 services — mainly to and from Gulf destinations — were cancelled. Only three flights operated from the airport on Tuesday. Kannur International Airport also witnessed multiple cancellations, including Air India flights scheduled to depart for Abu Dhabi at 7:05 a.m. and Dubai at 8:50 a.m., as well as an IndiGo service to Abu Dhabi at 9:35 a.m.
As part of evacuation efforts for passengers affected by regional tensions, the first special flight from Abu Dhabi arrived in Kochi at around 10 p.m. on Monday. The flight was operated by Etihad Airways. Authorities indicated that priority is being given to transporting stranded passengers to their intended destinations as operations gradually normalize.
Major UAE airports have begun partial operations from Tuesday, though leading UAE carriers are expected to take additional time to fully restore regular schedules. Flights bound for Riyadh are reportedly returning without landing due to prevailing conditions.
In a relief initiative, IndiGo will operate 10 special flights from Jeddah to various Indian cities to assist stranded passengers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said it is closely monitoring airspace conditions across the Middle East. Air India confirmed it will operate scheduled services to Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli.
Flights to other Gulf destinations — including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — will remain suspended until 11:59 p.m. IST on Tuesday, officials said, as authorities continue to assess the evolving situation.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
