The airline will operate up to 135 daily departures to the Middle East, connecting 23 Indian cities with 12 regional gateways
Air India Express is expanding its flight operations between India and the Middle East as part of its winter 2026 schedule, with up to 135 daily departures planned to the region.
The airline is increasing frequencies from key Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode and Hyderabad. The additional services cover major Middle East destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Kuwait City and Al Ain.
The expanded network will link 23 Indian cities with 12 gateways across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE through 88 non-stop city-pair routes.
-
The move is significant for the large Indian expatriate population across the Gulf, particularly in the UAE, which is home to more than four million Indian citizens
-
The additional flights are expected to provide greater choice for passengers travelling for employment, family commitments and leisure
Air India Express is also deploying retrofitted aircraft on several Middle East routes as part of its fleet modernisation programme. The carrier’s broader winter network will offer up to 150 daily international departures to 99 destinations worldwide.
The winter schedule is the airline’s largest so far and will remain in operation until March 27, 2027. Alongside the Middle East expansion, Air India Express is increasing capacity at its Bengaluru and Delhi hubs and adding domestic routes.
Current booking listings show services from Dubai to several Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah also have services to Indian destinations.
The increased capacity comes as air links between India and the Gulf remain important for business, employment and family travel, making the corridor one of the airline’s most significant international markets.
