New Delhi, Mar 15 The Air India group will operate a combined 72 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on Sunday, maintaining connectivity amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region.
The flights include services by Air India and Air India Express to key destinations such as Jeddah and Muscat on March 15.
The airline group said a total of eight flights will operate between India and Jeddah. Air India will run one return service each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will operate one flight each from Bengaluru and Kozhikode.
Air India Express will also operate 12 scheduled flights to and from Muscat, connecting the Omani capital with Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.
In addition, the Air India group plans to operate 52 non-scheduled flights between India and destinations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, subject to slot availability and operational conditions. The airline said the services are being conducted with necessary approvals from Indian and local regulatory authorities.
The group added it is exploring opportunities to deploy additional ad-hoc flights to and from West Asia depending on demand.
Meanwhile, airlines have begun imposing fuel surcharges following a spike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices linked to developments in the Middle East.
Akasa Air has introduced a fuel surcharge ranging from ₹199 to ₹1,300 across domestic and international routes.
Earlier, IndiGo announced a surcharge between ₹425 and ₹2,300 on tickets from March 14. The Air India group has also implemented a fuel surcharge of ₹399 per ticket on domestic flights from March 12.
