West Asia conflict hits premium airport cab services in Bengaluru

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has begun to impact transport operators in Bengaluru, with a noticeable drop in demand for luxury taxis and premium cab services operating to and from Kempegowda International Airport. Operators say the decline is linked to disruptions in international travel and a fall in visits by foreign investors and business delegates to the city.

According to the Karnataka State Travel Owners’ Association, several international meetings, official visits, and VVIP circuit programmes that were scheduled to take place in Karnataka have been temporarily postponed in the wake of the conflict. The slowdown has directly affected transport operators who largely depend on foreign business travellers and high-end visitors arriving in the city.

Speaking to The Hindu, Radhakrishna Holla, president of the Karnataka State Travel Owners’ Association, said, “Hundreds of cab drivers in Bengaluru rely heavily on corporate travel linked to international business visits, conferences, trade meetings, and official delegations. Cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha serve as major transit hubs for travellers coming to Bengaluru from various parts of the world. Due to the conflict in West Asia, several flights operating through these hubs have been cancelled or disrupted.” He added that as a result, the number of international visitors arriving in Bengaluru has reduced significantly. This has directly affected transport operators who depend on airport transfers and corporate bookings.

He noted that routes connected to Gulf countries form a substantial portion of Bengaluru’s international air traffic. “Bengaluru shares strong economic and employment ties with West Asian nations. Every day, thousands of IT professionals, businesspersons, workers and trade representatives travel between Bengaluru and these countries. However, due to the recent wave of flight cancellations and uncertainty there, many travellers have postponed or rescheduled their trips,” he explained.

The slowdown in passenger movement has had a cascading effect on the airport transport ecosystem. Damodhar K., a premium cab driver who regularly operates airport transfers, said that the situation has severely affected his daily earnings. “For drivers like me who operate premium vehicles, most of our trips are connected to corporate bookings and airport transfers for business travellers. Earlier, we used to get multiple trips every day, especially when international delegates or investors arrived in the city. However, over the past few days, the number of bookings has dropped sharply,” he said.

“The travel and transport industry is closely connected to global mobility. When international travel slows down due to geopolitical tensions, cities like Bengaluru feel the impact immediately. Until stability returns to the region and flight operations resume normally, this uncertainty is likely to continue. This situation once again shows how global conflicts can directly affect local economies and the livelihoods of people working in the travel and transport industry,” Mr. Holla said.

345 from Karnataka stranded in West Asia; 156 have returned so far

A total of 345 people from Karnataka remain stranded in various West Asian countries amid the ongoing regional conflict, according to data from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and District Emergency Operations Centres (DEOC) as of 6 p.m. on March 6.

The United Arab Emirates accounts for the highest number of stranded individuals at 204, followed by Bahrain (62) and Qatar (43). Smaller numbers of stranded persons have been reported from Kuwait (17), Saudi Arabia (10), Iran (6), Oman (2), and Turkey (1).

Meanwhile, officials said that 156 people who had registered with SEOC and DEOC have returned to Karnataka as of 6 p.m. on March 5. Among the returnees, the highest number are from Bengaluru (73), followed by Ballari (31). Other districts reporting returnees include Dharwad and Davanagere (eight each), Hassan and Dakshina Kannada (five each), Chikkamagaluru (five), Belagavi (four), and Raichur and Tumakuru (three each).

Smaller numbers have returned to Mysuru, Udupi, Bengaluru Rural, and Chitradurga (two each), and Bidar, Vijayapura, and Vijayanagara (one each).