Air India Express Restores West Asia Flight Network
Air India Express has fully restored its flight operations across its entire West Asia network following a stabilization of regional geopolitical tensions. The budget carrier resumed vital connections to Oman and Kuwait, providing crucial relief to the massive Indian expatriate community and business travelers reliant on Gulf connectivity.
Key Highlights
- Full restoration of the West Asia network achieved after temporary disruptions from regional airspace restrictions.
- Bi-weekly flights between Kozhikode and Salalah resumed on July 2, 2026.
- Kuwait services from Kozhikode and Bengaluru restarted with frequencies expanding to three times a week.
- Mangaluru-Muscat connectivity reinstated, strengthening Oman operations to 40 weekly flights.
Air India Express has resumed flights to Salalah in Oman and Kuwait, restoring services across all of its West Asia destinations.
The carrier restarted flights between Kozhikode and Salalah on July 2 and will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Services between Kozhikode and Kuwait will resume on July 3 with one weekly flight before increasing to three flights a week from July 5. The expanded schedule will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Air India Express will also begin Bengaluru-Kuwait services from July 4. Flights will initially operate once a week before increasing to three weekly services from July 7, operating on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
All Air India Express flights to and from Kuwait will operate from Terminal 4 at Kuwait International Airport.
The airline has also reinstated Muscat-Mangaluru flights from July 3. It operates about 40 weekly services from Muscat to seven destinations in India.
With the restart of Salalah services, Air India Express will operate from both Muscat International Airport and Salalah International Airport in Oman.
The carrier now flies to 13 destinations across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It operates about 780 weekly flights between India and West Asia, linking 18 Indian cities with the region.
Air India Express recently launched new services between Navi Mumbai and Abu Dhabi, Guwahati and Abu Dhabi, Guwahati and Dubai, Bengaluru and Phuket, and Pune and Amritsar.
From Bengaluru, the airline will operate about 415 weekly flights to 30 domestic and seven international destinations. It operates about 85 weekly flights from Kozhikode, connecting the city with 13 destinations across West Asia and Bengaluru.
Future Outlook
As regional security situations normalize and airspace restrictions lift, Air India Express is positioned to scale its international footprint. The phased frequency increases to Kuwait and Oman signal strong passenger demand recovery among the Indian diaspora. Looking ahead, the airline’s recent network expansion into markets like Thailand and new domestic hubs indicates a aggressive strategy to capture both ethnic transit and leisure travel segments moving into the latter half of 2026.
FAQs
Which terminal will Air India Express use at Kuwait International Airport?
All Air India Express arriving and departing flights for Kuwait will operate exclusively out of Terminal 4 at Kuwait International Airport.
How many weekly flights does Air India Express operate between India and West Asia?
The airline operates approximately 780 weekly flights connecting 18 Indian cities with 13 destinations across the Gulf region, including Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE.
What is the schedule for the resumed Kozhikode-Salalah flight?
The Kozhikode-Salalah service operates twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Flights depart Kozhikode at 11:00 AM and arrive in Salalah at 1:05 PM local time. Return flights depart Salalah at 2:15 PM and arrive in Kozhikode at 7:45 PM.
Why were these West Asia flight services initially disrupted?
The flight operations were temporarily affected due to heightened regional conflicts and subsequent airspace restrictions across parts of West Asia. Services have now been normalized as security conditions have stabilized.
