BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA | 2 MARCH 2026
For the third consecutive day today a large number of international flights were cancelled due to war like situation in the West Asia and in the Gulf countries.
Last night the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met in New Delhi under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi to discuss and appraise about the latest situation in the Middle – East and the preparedness of the Indian government. MEA has also shared emergency Helpline numbers for the stranded Indians.
Till 5 PM today, 87 international flights were cancelled at Indira Gandhi Internationalb Airport on Monday till 5 PM, it was 350 flights on Sunday and on Saturday a whopping cancellation of 410 flights.
“The Committee was briefed on the air strikes in Iran on 28 February and the subsequent escalation, including attacks in several Gulf countries. It expressed serious concern over the safety and security of the large Indian expatriate community in the region.
The CCS also reviewed the difficulties faced by Indian travellers transiting the region and students appearing for scheduled examinations, as well as the broader implications for regional security and economic and commercial activities.
The CCS directed all concerned departments to take necessary and feasible measures to assist Indian nationals affected by the developments. It underscored the importance of an early cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy,” the union government said in a press statement late last night.
Union minister Mr. Prahlad Joshi had said that the central government is ready to bring back the stranded Indians from the various airports like all previous such emergency situations and have advised them all to be in touch with the local embassy there.
As the crisis is the Middle East deepens , the international flight operators have been extending the period of suspension of flights through the region and have been issuing constant updates on travel advisories to passengers, though still over several thousands of Indians are struck in various airports in the Middle- East and Gulf region since 28 February 2026 . Most of these Indian stranded passengers are likely to miss the Holi and Dol Jatra festival this year, due to the prolonged disruptions of the flight operations.
Already on 28 February, union minister of civil aviation, Mr. Ram Mohan Naidu held a high level meeting with all the stakeholders to discuss the issues of safety of the stranded Indian passengers in several airports as international flights have been suspended after the attack on Iran by Israel and USA and reviewed the operational preparedness and response measures of all the stakeholders in a high level meeting with AAI and DGCA.
Around 800 passengers of Kolkata and Eastern India are stuck in the Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi Airports in UAE and are anxiously waiting to return back to Kolkata, informs Anil Punjabi of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI).
Olympic silver medalist P.V.Sindhu, actors Ajith Kumar, Nargis Fakri, Esha Gupta, Bengali actress Subhashree Ganguly, Sonali Chauhan, Vishnu Manchu etc are stuck in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“ Due to the evolving geopolitical situation and operational disruptions in parts of the Middle East and West Asia, we are witnessing a noticeable rise in booking cancellations and rescheduling requests, particularly for sectors connecting India with Europe via major Gulf hubs. Since a significant portion of India – Europe traffic transits through the Middle East, any airspace restrictions or flight disruptions naturally have a cascading impact on onward travel plans,” said Ravi Gosain, President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO).
He further added that travel agents across the country are working closely with the airlines and overseas partners to minimize inconvenience to passengers by facilitating re bookings, refunds and alternate routings. “While there is short – term uncertainty , we expect the situation to stabilize, and travellers are being advised to stay in touch with their agents and avoid panic cancellations, as airlines are offering suitable options in most cases,”he added.
Anil Kalsi, Board Member of Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) said, “ The West Asia conflict is on an enlarged spectrum necessitating flight cancellation, not only by middle east airlines but also Indian flight carriers. Unfortunately travel is the first casualty and mass cancellations have happened. Safety in this hour of conflict is the need of the hour . We hope the conflict is settled soon, so that normalcy returns to the world and aviation.”
Already IndiGo, Air India, Spicejet, Emirates, Etihad, STIC Travel Group, which handles several foreign airlines have issued travel advisories.
“ In view of the continuing situation in the Middle East, Air India has extended the suspension of all flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 2359 hrs IST on 2 March 2026,” notified Air India in its Travel Advisories.
BLS International has also informed all applicants that, due to the current situation affecting visa operations in Middle East regions, there may be temporary adjustments to appointment schedules, processing timelines, or Visa Application Centre operations.
With Iran firing missiles in all directions and destroying of few USA fighter jets, it seems that the volatile situation will take far more time to settle back to normalcy today as the ordeal of stuck Indian and Kolkata passengers continues along with the deep anguish of their family members here before the festival of colours are celebrated in the country.
In NSCBI Airport in Kolkata alone about twenty international flights have been cancelled and passengers returning back from the USA and Europe are stuck at various airports in the Middle- East.
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