Air India Plans Full Middle East Network Restoration for Winter 2026
Air India plans to restore its full Middle East network from the winter 2026 schedule; most affected flights are already on sale. What to check before booking.
Air India will restore its full Middle East network from the winter 2026 schedule. Nipun Aggarwal, chairman of Air India Express and chief commercial and transformation officer of Air India, announced the plan in an NDTV interview published on 19 July.[1] Most of the flights affected by the recent disruption are already on sale, and the group expects to keep the restored network if regional conditions continue to improve. The plan covers Air India and Air India Express.
Airspace restrictions and airport constraints hit the group's Middle East flying hard earlier in 2026. Air India curtailed services to the region and resumed selected flights as regulatory approvals came through; its travel-update page still asks passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport.[2]
What to check before booking
If you fly to India from the Gulf, or connect through the region, expect more direct options this winter. That helps most in the peak holiday weeks. A route that is back on sale does not always come back with every former frequency or departure time, so look at your own dates.
- Search your exact travel date in Air India's booking engine.
- Check the operating carrier: some services are sold or flown by Air India Express rather than Air India.
- Leave extra time for connections and check flight status shortly before departure.
- For an existing disrupted booking, use the manage-booking, rebooking and refund options on Air India's Middle East travel-updates page.[2]
Why the network was cut back
Demand stayed strong because of the large Indian diaspora in the Gulf. Aggarwal said the constraint was the ability to fly, not passengers: as long as airports are open, airspace is available and flights can operate safely, the group keeps deploying capacity. The airline keeps assessing risks together with airports and local authorities.[1]
Winter schedule changes remain possible if airspace or airport conditions change. Bookable schedules show which flights actually run on your date.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] NDTV: Air India Group To Restore Full Middle East Network This Winter: Nipun Aggarwal. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- [2] Air India: Air India Middle East Travel Updates and Guidelines. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Air India Group plans to restore it from the winter 2026 schedule, as Nipun Aggarwal said in an NDTV interview on 19 July.
Most of them are already on sale, according to Aggarwal. Search the airline's booking engine for your exact route and date.
Yes. Flights depend on safe operations, open airspace and airport access, so check flight status shortly before you travel.
