Flights remain disrupted as airlines face risk due to Middle East conflict

New Delhi: Airline operations continue to be affected to the Gulf region despite the resumption in operations at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport late last week, as several flights have been cancelled following the escalation in the Middle East conflict due to the Houthi missile and drone attacks.

For Indian travellers headed for the Gulf and to Western countries, airline schedules have been disrupted as airlines have cut flights due to security concerns.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended its advisory warning airlines against flying over parts of the Gulf, including the waters around the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, at least till November 16.

The warning applies to EU airlines and non-EU carriers authorised to operate flights to, from or within the European Union.

"The possible use of missiles, drones, combat aircraft and air-defence systems creates a high risk to civil flights at all altitudes and flight levels within the concerned airspace," it said.

Consequently, several international carriers have halted routes to affected countries or modified their flight paths to completely avoid Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, and Gulf airspace.

Air India and Air India Express have suspended flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam until October 24.

Passengers affected by the cancellations have been asked to check the airlines' latest advisories for refund and rebooking arrangements.

The Tata Group airlines carriers have said that they are monitoring the situation before taking a decision on resuming flights.

Low-costs carrier IndiGo has also cancelled flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah until October 24.

Passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia have advised to verify their flight status before leaving for the airport, as the suspension may affect both outbound and return journeys.

Similarly, Akasa Air has suspended flights to Riyadh until October 24 and services to Jeddah until October 21.

Passengers with affected bookings have been advised to check the latest cancellation notices and available alternatives.

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