MUMBAI: Passengers were stranded at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Cochin International Airport Limited and other airports across the country on Monday after multiple flights were canceled amid the escalating situation in the Middle East.At Delhi’s IGI airport, several passengers were seen waiting for hours as services were disrupted due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Delhi airport said in a post on X: “Due to the evolving political situation in the Middle East, westbound international flights continue to experience disruptions and schedule changes.”A passenger at IGI airport says, “The Air India flight to Muscat, which was supposed to take off around 10am, has just been cancelled. I work in the travel sector. An Air India flight from Mumbai, in which some of my clients were due to travel, was also cancelled. We did not receive any update on the rescheduling. People here go to Makkah and Madinah to attend worship during Ramadan. Currently, almost all flights to the Middle East are cancelled.“A passenger, who identified himself as coming from Gaya, Bihar, said he had been stranded at the Mumbai airport for more than 24 hours. ‘I am from Gaya, Bihar. I have been waiting here since 1:00 pm yesterday and IndiGo told us to wait. It’s been over 24 hours and we are still waiting. “We have to go to Kuwait,” he said.In Kerala, at least 16 Gulf-bound flights were canceled at the Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery on Monday, leaving several passengers stranded.Flight operations to Gulf countries from the state’s airports have been affected, with several airlines suspending or canceling services in view of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.Indian airlines canceled 350 international flights on Sunday as operational disruptions continued for the second consecutive day due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.Amid airspace closures in parts of the Middle East and heightened security concerns, Air India and IndiGo canceled flights operating through the affected airspaces.“In view of airspace restrictions arising out of geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers were canceled on 01.03.2026,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a post on X at 4.34 pm on Sunday.Previously, on February 28, the ministry had reported that 410 flights operated by national companies were cancelled.Airlines also shared details of individual cancellations on social media. Air India announced on Sunday morning that it had canceled 22 international flights, in addition to the 28 cancellations announced on February 28 due to the Middle East crisis.According to SpiceJet, 33 flights to and from the UAE have been cancelled.Meanwhile, Air India Express has extended the suspension of flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates until 11:59 p.m. IST on March 2.IndiGo also said that the temporary suspension of select international flights operating through Middle East airspace has been extended until 11:59 p.m. IST on March 2.(With contributions from the agency)