First Indian carrier flight from Dubai lands in Delhi amid tensions

Amid the West Asia situation, Air India's flight AI916D from Dubai landed in New Delhi, marking the first international arrival by an Indian carrier today. The flight brought home 149 passengers and 8 crew members as operations slowly resumed.

In a significant development amid the ongoing West Asia situation, Air India on Tuesday welcomed passengers and crew arriving from Dubai onboard Flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. This marked the first international arrival by an Indian carrier into the national capital today, carrying 149 passengers and eight operating crew members, the airline said.

We are happy to welcome our guests and crew from Dubai aboard flight AI916D. This is the first flight by an Indian carrier to arrive in New Delhi today with 149 passengers and 8 operating crew members onboard, amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East. A heartfelt thank you… pic.twitter.com/7EnRf2MA16 — Air India Newsroom (@AirIndia_News) March 3, 2026

In the Air India Newsroom's X post, it said, "We are happy to welcome our guests and crew from Dubai aboard flight AI916D. This is the first flight by an Indian carrier to arrive in New Delhi today with 149 passengers and 8 operating crew members onboard, amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East. "

The Airline expressed gratitude to its teams and authorities, stating, "A heartfelt thank you to our teams, the Government of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the local authorities in Dubai for their continued cooperation and for making this homecoming possible."

Dubai Airports Resume Limited Operations

Meanwhile, Dubai Airports confirmed that a limited resumption of operations would begin on the evening of March 2 (Monday), with a small number of flights permitted to operate from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

With flights gradually taking to the skies once again, normalcy is slowly returning to the UAE, and for the thousands of Indians eager to get home, the wait is finally coming to an end.

Advisory for Travellers

However, authorities urged caution. Travellers have been advised not to proceed to DXB or DWC unless they have been contacted directly by their airline with a confirmed departure time.

Background of Flight Disruptions

Following the US-Israel strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran launched a wave of retaliatory attacks, using drones and missiles targeting multiple Arab countries in the region as a retaliatory action, which resulted in flight cancellations. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)