Suspension of flights to key hubs in the Middle East will severely dent travel: Travel industry associations
The Middle East is a ‘crucial’ aviation corridor connecting India to Europe, the US, and Africa and the suspension of flights to key hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi will severely affect both outbound and inbound travel in the short term, said travel industry associations and industry insiders familiar with the matter.
“This could lead to the biggest chaos ever in recent times. Customers are badly hit and we are requesting airlines to help customers by getting their tickets reissued on carriers that are flying. But, that is subject to availability and if no alternate options are available, what can the airlines do,” said Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president Sunil Kumar. “Emirates has 3-5 daily flights from key cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru. They fly Boeing 777-300 ER on these routes like Hyderabad to Dubai considering the demand. A lot of people are travelling and Indian traffic is so closely dependant on the Middle East. So many people travel to Europe via these routes,” he added. In a post on X, Emirates stated on Saturday that due to multiple airspace regional airspace closures it was temporarily suspending operations to and from Dubai. The developments will affect both outbound and inbound travel in the short term, said Ravi Gosain, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators. Gosain said tour operators are coordinating closely with airlines and overseas partners to minimise inconvenience to travellers. "We advise passengers to stay in touch with their airlines and agents for real time updates," he added.
Also Read | Iran-Israel war: Air India, IndiGo and multiple other airlines suspend flights. Check full list
Thousands of passengers were stranded at airports on Saturday as a result of these developments, said Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group. “We have been getting non stop calls from several clients who had connecting flights. A lot of our clients and friends are stuck in destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Sharjah because of the conflict. Most of them were traveling beyond the Middle East,” he said. “The Russia Ukraine conflict did not have the kind of consequence a crisis in the Middle East could have. Even during the India Pakistan conflict, the Middle East airspace was open,” he added.
IndiGo posted on X that in view of the evolving situation around Iran and the Middle East, it was suspending its flight operations to and from the Middle East and other select international sectors until March 1. Air India posted that all its flights to all destinations in the Middle East were suspended. Passengers were seen enquiring about their flight status, with several passengers checking about flights to the Middle East and beyond, as well as inbound flights to the country.
“This could lead to the biggest chaos ever in recent times. Customers are badly hit and we are requesting airlines to help customers by getting their tickets reissued on carriers that are flying. But, that is subject to availability and if no alternate options are available, what can the airlines do,” said Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president Sunil Kumar. “Emirates has 3-5 daily flights from key cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru. They fly Boeing 777-300 ER on these routes like Hyderabad to Dubai considering the demand. A lot of people are travelling and Indian traffic is so closely dependant on the Middle East. So many people travel to Europe via these routes,” he added. In a post on X, Emirates stated on Saturday that due to multiple airspace regional airspace closures it was temporarily suspending operations to and from Dubai. The developments will affect both outbound and inbound travel in the short term, said Ravi Gosain, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators. Gosain said tour operators are coordinating closely with airlines and overseas partners to minimise inconvenience to travellers. "We advise passengers to stay in touch with their airlines and agents for real time updates," he added.
Also Read | Iran-Israel war: Air India, IndiGo and multiple other airlines suspend flights. Check full list
Thousands of passengers were stranded at airports on Saturday as a result of these developments, said Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group. “We have been getting non stop calls from several clients who had connecting flights. A lot of our clients and friends are stuck in destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Sharjah because of the conflict. Most of them were traveling beyond the Middle East,” he said. “The Russia Ukraine conflict did not have the kind of consequence a crisis in the Middle East could have. Even during the India Pakistan conflict, the Middle East airspace was open,” he added.
IndiGo posted on X that in view of the evolving situation around Iran and the Middle East, it was suspending its flight operations to and from the Middle East and other select international sectors until March 1. Air India posted that all its flights to all destinations in the Middle East were suspended. Passengers were seen enquiring about their flight status, with several passengers checking about flights to the Middle East and beyond, as well as inbound flights to the country.
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