Indian Carriers Resume Flights To Riyadh, Closely Monitoring: Centre

Airlines in India have resumed flights to and from Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

India is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and its impact on air travel, the government said.

Four flights operated on the first day of resumption - three to Mumbai by Air India and IndiGo, and one to Calicut by Air India Express, it said.

The resumption came after a roughly two-week disruption. Between February 28 and March 11, over 1.5 lakh passengers travelled from Gulf countries to India.

This figure points to the scale of movement that had shifted to alternate routes or been deferred.

On Thursday, 57 inbound flights from the Middle East were scheduled by Indian carriers, covering Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Jeddah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimam, Riyadh, and Sharjah. All were subject to operational feasibility.

The MoCA said it is coordinating with airlines and other stakeholders to ensure smooth passenger movement. Airfares are being monitored, it added, to prevent "undue surge" during the period.

The government has asked passengers to check directly with their airlines for updated schedules.

The US-Iran war is also hitting global aviation hard as fuel costs rise and travellers become cautious. With threats to the Strait of Hormuz rattling energy markets, jet fuel prices have effectively doubled since the start of the year, recently hitting nearly $174 per barrel.

While Gulf giants like Emirates and Qatar Airways are in the direct line of fire, the impact is being felt across the board. As experts point out, the math is simple: when oil prices climb, airline margins take a nosedive.