Around 40% of flights to West Asia operational amid transit visa delays for expats

Although the majority of West Asian airspaces have been shut after Iran continued targeting U.S. assets in the Gulf countries in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel on the country since February 28, there has been a marked improvement in flight operations connecting West Asian countries and parts of India, including Kerala.

Speaking to The Hindu, a senior officer with Air India said the airline, including its budget arm Air India Express, which had been operating around 110 daily flights to West Asia from the country, operated around 50 flights on Monday, including two dozen scheduled flight services to Jeddah and Muscat and the rest as ad-hoc special flights to and from various points in the UAE.

Around 40% of the fleet is operational now. However, full-scale operations will depend on the complete reopening of airspaces, availability of slots, and regulatory approvals. Airports in Kerala have also been catering to the full-scale operation of scheduled flights from Muscat and Saudi Arabia, along with special flights to other cities based on regulatory approvals provided by the respective governments.

With the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirming the limited opening of selected corridors, Qatar Airways announced flights from Qatar to various cities, including Kochi, until March 11. The Calicut International Airport has been handling around two dozen daily flights from West Asia, including from the UAE, while the airspaces of Kuwait and Bahrain remain closed. The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport also handled around 15 flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Sharjah on Monday.

According to Ajit Kolassery, Chief Executive Officer of NoRKA-Roots, the government agency working for the welfare of non-resident Keralites, the movement of stranded passengers has almost been completed, and there is steady demand for routine passenger travel, including emergency travel. Although Saudi Arabian and Oman airspaces are operational, there have been inordinate delays in obtaining transit visas for Indian nationals in other West Asian cities who need to transit through airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman. In addition, the exorbitant fares charged by airlines in response to the high demand for travel are also causing problems for expatriates, Mr. Kolassery said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Iran has advised Indian nationals not to approach any of Iran’s land borders for travel outside the country without prior coordination with the Embassy. Any movement towards land borders should be undertaken only after obtaining explicit guidance from the Embassy. A Keralite stranded in Iran is currently coordinating with Kerala government authorities to cross into Azerbaijan by land.