Air India schedules 20 ad-hoc flights to UAE on 31 March to clear backlog of stranded passengers

Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express have received last-minute slot approvals to operate 20 unscheduled flights into and out of the United Arab Emirates on 31 March, supplementing the carriers’ reduced West-Asia schedule. The move is designed to repatriate Indian nationals rushing to beat the UAE’s expiring visa-amnesty deadline and to evacuate those unable to remain because of ongoing job-site closures. According to the airline’s 30 March operational bulletin, extra rotations will connect Delhi, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Amritsar and Kannur with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Passengers booked on previously cancelled services may rebook onto these flights or claim a full refund without fees. Both airlines stressed that departures remain subject to real-time air-space clearances and ground-handling constraints. The ad-hoc programme underscores the continuing fluidity of Gulf connectivity: although Emirates and Etihad have restored parts of their networks, dozens of foreign carriers still face regional overflight restrictions. Mobility managers with India-bound assignees should re-check confirmed tickets, as Air India cautions that flight numbers and timings could shift “up to the final hour”. For UAE employers the surge of returning workers is a double-edged sword—valuable staff may finally arrive, but airport bottlenecks and administrative queues at immigration counters are likely throughout the evening peak. Companies are advised to arrange transport and on-arrival accommodation in advance and monitor any further Air India updates issued after 18:00 GST.