Indian carriers restart select services to Saudi Arabia and Oman to evacuate citizens stranded by regional conflict, while most routes remain suspended.

NEW DELHI: Indian airlines announced the resumption of limited commercial flights to the Middle East on Tuesday. The move aims to collect thousands of passengers stranded by the ongoing regional conflict.

Millions of South Asian citizens live and work across the Middle East. Several have been killed in recent strikes, including at least one Nepali in Abu Dhabi and two Bangladeshis in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

IndiGo said it would operate four return flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The carrier described this as part of efforts to “progressively normalise” operations between the countries.

Air India Express confirmed it would resume flights to and from the Omani capital Muscat from Tuesday. Budget carrier Akasa Air also said it would operate select flights to Jeddah.

Services to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain suspended, the airlines stated. Indian media also reported one citizen was killed on a vessel off Oman.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to multiple Middle East leaders, including the leaders of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In social media posts, he thanked them for “taking care of the Indian community”.

Modi said Monday he had also spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. He “conveyed India’s concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority”.

 The Sun Malaysia