AdvertisementAdvertisementAn IndiGo Airlines plane is on the runway. (File photo: REUTERS/Amit Dave)03 Mar 2026 01:18PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST NEW DELHI: Indian airlines said Tuesday (Mar 3) that they were resuming limited commercial services to the Middle East in a bid to collect thousands of passengers stranded by war.Millions of South Asian citizens live and work across the Middle East.IndiGo said it would operate four return flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to "progressively normalise" operations between the countries.Air India Express said it would resume flights to and from the Omani capital Muscat from Tuesday.But services to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain suspended, the airlines said in a statement.Budget carrier Akasa Air said it would operate select flights to Jeddah.New strikes across Middle East as Iran presses retaliatory attacksTrump warns of longer Iran war as violence spreadsLimited flights from UAE begin as governments seek to extract citizens from Middle EastIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to multiple Middle East leaders, including the leaders of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, in which he thanked them for "taking care of the Indian community", in posts on social media.Several South Asian citizens have been killed in the strikes, including at least one Nepali in Abu Dhabi and two Bangladeshis in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.Indian media reported one citizen killed on a vessel off Oman.Modi said Monday he had also spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he "conveyed India's concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority".Source: AFP/fhNewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST