Air India and Air India Express have announced a major relief for Indian passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The airline has said that passengers can now rebook their flights to India from any airport in UAE and they will not be charged any extra for this. This facility is specially provided for those passengers whose flights have been affected due to recent cancellations or changes in schedules. The aim of the airline is to take passengers to their destination as quickly as possible.
What are the rebooking rules and dates?
According to the information released by the airline, this discount will be available to those passengers whose tickets were booked on or before March 4, 2026 and their travel date was between February 28 and March 8, 2026. Such passengers can rebook tickets for any new date within one month from their original journey date. For this, neither any rebooking charge will be taken from them nor any difference in fare will be asked.
Most importantly, passengers can also change their departure station or airport of departure within the UAE. For example, if a traveler’s flight from Dubai to Jaipur is cancelled, he can book his seat on the Ras Al Khaimah to Delhi flight without any extra expense. Air India Express has named this facility ‘Inter-Airport Flexibility’ so that passengers can get more options.
Canceled flights and refund information
Air India Express has canceled its scheduled flights to Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Kuwait and Riyadh till March 13, 2026. At the same time, Air India’s flights to Dammam, Doha and Riyadh will not operate till March 10. Arrangements have also been made to give full refund of tickets to passengers who want to cancel their journey. To help passengers, the airline has also launched a digital assistant ‘Tia’ on WhatsApp (+91 63600 12345) where they can manage their bookings.
Air India and Air India Express operated more than 30 special flights on March 8 to bring back stranded passengers to India. These flights are operating from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah to major cities of India. The UAE Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has also confirmed that hotel and food facilities are being provided to the passengers staying at the airport so that they do not face any problems.
