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Watch: West Asia Tensions: Flights cancelled across India, Kerala on high alert

February 28, 2026 6 min read International Relations Geography GS2
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What Happened

  • Following the eruption of US-Israeli military strikes on Iran on 28 February 2026 and the consequent closure of Gulf state airspaces, Indian airlines — including IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express — suspended all flights to West Asian destinations.
  • A total of approximately 760 international flights were cancelled by Indian carriers within two days of the conflict's onset, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
  • Kerala was most severely affected, with cancellations at all four international airports: Thiruvananthapuram (37 cancellations on the first day), Kochi (35), Kozhikode/Calicut (~10, later suspending all Gulf flights from noon), and Kannur (6 Gulf-bound cancellations).
  • The Kerala government activated help desks at airports and stepped up monitoring of the situation given that over 30 lakh (3 million) Keralites work in Gulf states, with dependents and family members in Kerala facing acute uncertainty.
  • Indian airlines faced a compounded operational challenge because they were simultaneously unable to use Pakistani airspace — due to prior India-Pakistan tensions — forcing longer and more costly routes through the Arabian Peninsula or Europe when alternatives were attempted.
  • The Ministry of Civil Aviation coordinated 58 special evacuation flights between India and the Gulf region for stranded passengers.

Static Topic Bridges

India's Gulf Diaspora and Kerala's Emigration Economy

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region — comprising Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman — is home to the largest concentration of Indian workers abroad. India's Gulf diaspora is estimated at over 9 million workers, contributing the largest share of India's total remittances, which exceed $100 billion annually (making India consistently the world's top remittance recipient).

  • Kerala has the most intense economic relationship with the Gulf of any Indian state: approximately 2.5–3 million Keralites work in the Gulf, accounting for a substantial portion of the state's household income and GDP.
  • "Gulf money" has funded significant improvements in Kerala's housing, healthcare, education, and consumer economy — the Norka (Non-Resident Keralites Affairs) department tracks and supports emigrant welfare.
  • Remittances from the Gulf to Kerala alone are estimated at $10–15 billion annually, a sum larger than many Indian states' annual budgets.
  • Kerala's four international airports (Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur, and Kozhikode) were built and expanded primarily to handle Gulf traffic — Kochi's Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) was India's first public-private partnership airport, driven by Non-Resident Keralite investment.

Connection to this news: The flight cancellations disproportionately hit Kerala not because of geography but because of the exceptional density of its Gulf migration network — a vulnerability that is also a measure of its economic integration with the region.

India's Civil Aviation Connectivity with West Asia

The West Asian aviation market — primarily the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain — is one of the busiest international corridors for Indian aviation. It is dominated by Indian low-cost carriers (IndiGo, Air India Express) and Gulf mega-carriers (Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Air Arabia).

  • India-UAE routes are among the world's busiest international air corridors by passenger volume, driven by tourism, trade, and the large Indian diaspora in the UAE (approximately 3.5 million, the largest expat community in the UAE).
  • India and the UAE have an Air Bubble/Air Services Agreement that allows unlimited frequency operations between the two countries for designated carriers.
  • IndiGo operates the largest number of international routes from India, with significant exposure to the Gulf market.
  • Air India Express specifically targets the Kerala-Gulf and coastal India-Gulf market, operating from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and other Gulf destinations.

Connection to this news: The breadth of flight cancellations reflects how deeply embedded Gulf aviation connectivity has become in India's international transport infrastructure — and how a regional crisis can rapidly translate into a civilian logistics emergency for millions of Indian families.

Airspace Management and Flight Safety During Armed Conflict

When states close their airspace during armed conflict or military operations, international civil aviation routes must be rerouted, creating congestion, increased fuel costs, and longer journey times. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — a UN specialised agency — coordinates global airspace safety and issues NOTAMs (Notices to Air Missions) during crises.

  • Several Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain) closed or restricted their airspace in the immediate aftermath of the February 28 strikes, citing risk from missile and drone activity in surrounding regions.
  • Iran's own civil airspace was a direct conflict zone, creating a large blocked region that forced rerouting of flights from Europe and South/Central Asia to South and East Asia.
  • Pakistan's airspace was simultaneously unavailable to Indian carriers (due to the prior India-Pakistan airspace closure following military tensions), further constraining routing options.
  • ICAO's Regional Safety Oversight Organization and individual national aviation authorities (India's DGCA — Directorate General of Civil Aviation) monitor NOTAMs and advise airlines on safe routing.

Connection to this news: The compounded effect of Iranian, Gulf, and Pakistani airspace restrictions simultaneously created an exceptional constraint on Indian aviation operations — a scenario that stress-tested India's civil aviation resilience and brought the geopolitical repercussions of the West Asia conflict into the daily lives of millions of Indian passengers and workers.

India's Evacuation Operations: Historical Precedents and Readiness

India has significant institutional experience in evacuating its citizens from conflict zones in West Asia and Africa. Operation Raahat (Yemen, 2015) evacuated over 4,500 Indians and 960 foreign nationals using naval vessels and aircraft. Operation Kaveri (Sudan, 2023) similarly evacuated thousands of Indians from Khartoum amid civil war. These operations established protocols and capacities that inform India's emergency response to the 2026 West Asia crisis.

  • Operation Raahat is considered one of India's most successful non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO), involving INS Mumbai, INS Sumitra, and Air India flights coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs.
  • India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) operates a 24x7 Control Room and a dedicated helpline during overseas crises involving Indian nationals.
  • The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana and Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra provide some institutional support for Indian workers abroad, though coverage gaps remain for irregular migrants.
  • Kerala's Norka Roots (Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department) maintains a distress fund and rapid-response mechanism for Gulf-based Keralites in emergencies.

Connection to this news: The Kerala government's activation of help desks at airports and the Ministry of Civil Aviation's coordination of 58 special evacuation-relief flights for stranded passengers draw directly on the institutional learning from past operations like Raahat and Kaveri — applying those frameworks to a larger-scale, faster-moving crisis.

Key Facts & Data

  • India-Gulf flights cancelled in first two days: ~760 international flights
  • Kerala airports affected: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur (all four international airports)
  • Keralites in Gulf: ~2.5–3 million workers (over 30 lakh)
  • Kerala remittances from Gulf: ~$10–15 billion/year
  • Airlines that suspended Gulf operations: IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express (among major carriers)
  • Special coordinated evacuation flights: 58 (Ministry of Civil Aviation)
  • India's total annual remittances: Over $100 billion (world's top recipient)
  • Indian diaspora in Gulf: ~9 million workers across GCC states
  • Operation Raahat (Yemen, 2015): Evacuated 4,500+ Indians and 960 foreign nationals
  • Pakistan airspace: Closed to Indian carriers concurrently, compounding routing challenges
  • ICAO: UN specialised agency coordinating global civil aviation safety
  • DGCA: Directorate General of Civil Aviation — India's national aviation regulator