New Delhi: More flights from India to Gulf destinations are set to become available as Air India Express has restored services to Qatar and Bahrain while significantly expanding its India–Gulf network across key Middle Eastern markets, effective April 30, 2026. The move strengthens air connectivity between India and the Gulf region amid rising travel demand.

The Tata Group-backed airline has resumed operations on multiple international routes connecting major Indian cities, including Amritsar, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvananthapuram and Varanasi, to key Gulf destinations.

As part of its expanded schedule, Air India Express will operate flights to major UAE destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain. Services to Muscat in Oman and to Saudi Arabian cities including Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam will continue alongside restored operations to Doha in Qatar and Bahrain. Kuwait will also remain a key destination in the airline’s Gulf network.

The airline said the expansion is aimed at improving connectivity and meeting growing passenger demand on India–Middle East routes. Air India Express currently operates more than 500 daily flights across 45 domestic and 17 international destinations across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Gulf region, using a fleet of over 100 Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

The renewed focus on Gulf routes comes as airlines gradually increase capacity across India–Middle East corridors, one of the busiest international travel sectors for Indian carriers.

Meanwhile, broader India–Gulf aviation activity is also seeing recovery across carriers. IndiGo is expected to resume India–Qatar services soon, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Qatar Airways and other regional airlines are already operating limited or resumed services on select routes.

With IANS inputs