Air Canada Suspends Toronto-Dubai Flights Until May 1, Expands Delhi Capacity
Air Canada has suspended all Toronto-Dubai flights until May 1 amid escalating tensions in West Asia. The airline said operations will resume once safe passage is ensured and added that it will continue expanding capacity to Delhi to offer travellers more options to reach Canada.
“Due to unrest in the Middle East, our Toronto-Dubai flights are cancelled until at least May 1. We plan to gradually reintroduce service when flights can safely resume. We continue to add capacity to Delhi to provide travellers with options to Canada,” Air Canada said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 80 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from the West Asia region on March 14. According to a press release, the carriers will maintain scheduled services to Jeddah and Muscat, with 10 flights to and from Jeddah by Air India and 8 flights to and from Muscat by Air India Express.
Additionally, Air India will operate one round-trip from Delhi and two from Mumbai to Jeddah. Air India Express will operate one flight each from Kozhikode and Mangaluru to Jeddah and back. The airline will also continue its scheduled services to Muscat, including round-trips from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Mumbai.
On top of scheduled flights, the two carriers will operate 62 non-scheduled flights to and from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, subject to slot availability and regulatory approvals. All flights are being conducted with requisite permissions from Indian and local authorities.
Earlier, nearly 500 Indian nationals travelled from Qatar to India and other destinations on Qatar Airways flights, the Indian Embassy in Doha said. The airline also facilitated the transport of the mortal remains of two Indian nationals who died of natural causes, along with accompanying family members, to Kochi on humanitarian grounds.
The embassy noted that Qatar’s airspace remains partially open, limiting Qatar Airways operations.
These limited flights come amid an escalating West Asia security crisis, triggered by Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting US military bases, embassies, and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. The conflict has also caused significant disruptions to global energy supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil transits. (Agency)
