Air India Expands Flights Amid Gulf Crisis
Air India is ramping up flights to both Europe and the United States to meet a surge in demand caused by the ongoing Gulf crisis. The airline is capitalizing on disruptions to its competitors' capacity, aiming to capture market share and support diaspora mobility.
The ongoing conflict has led to the cancellation of over 32,500 flights scheduled across the Middle East since late February 2026, severely disrupting major international hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. This has exposed the global travel system's significant dependence on the Gulf corridor, which typically handles around 300,000 passengers daily, connecting continents like Europe, Asia, and Australia. In response, Air India is operating 78 additional flights between March 10 and March 18, 2026, to capitalize on the rerouted traffic. This temporary expansion adds 17,660 seats on key routes, including non-stop services from Delhi and Mumbai to New York (JFK), London (Heathrow), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Zurich. The carrier is deploying a mix of its wide-body fleet for these additional services. Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are slated for the New York route, while Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners will service the European destinations. Flights to nearby Colombo and Malé are being operated with Airbus A320neo aircraft. This agile capacity increase aligns with Air India's broader fleet modernization under the Tata Group. The airline has hundreds of new aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing and is in the midst of a $400 million program to retrofit its existing wide-body fleet with new cabins and amenities. For many international carriers, the airspace closures necessitate longer and more costly flight paths, detouring through Central Asia or Africa to connect Europe and Asia. The increased fuel consumption and operational complexity are expected to drive up long-haul fares for travelers globally. The disruption has hobbled major Gulf airlines, which normally carry a significant share of transit passengers. Emirates and Etihad have been operating limited repatriation flights, but their scheduled commercial operations remain heavily constrained by the ongoing safety assessments and airspace restrictions.
