NewsGate Press Network

Close to 5,72,000 passengers have returned from the Gulf region to India safely since 28th of February, stated Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

In the UAE, around 85 flights operated on Tuesday the 31st of March 2026.

The MEA also stated that flights continue to operate from Oman and Saudi Arabia to India.

With the Qatar airspace partially open, around 8–10 non-scheduled commercial flights are expected to operate to India today.

Kuwait and Bahrain airspaces remain closed. Special non-scheduled commercial flights are operating from Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia to various destinations in India.

In view of the airspace closure in Iran, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated through Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In view of airspace restrictions in Israel, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated via Egypt and Jordan.

In view of the airspace closure in Iraq, travel of Indian nationals is being facilitated through Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

During the daily press briefing on the situation from the Guld region, senior officials from the Central Government said more than 3.1 lakh new piped natural gas (PNG) connections have been added in the month of March.

This is part of measures taken by the authorities to expand the network of cleaner fuel after disruption of LPG supply in wake of closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

With the war in West Asia disrupting cooking gas LPG supplies, the government has been pushing for greater adoption of piped natural gas – considered more convenient than LPG cylinders for everyday use as gas is delivered through a pipeline directly to home without the botheration of booking refills.

The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz – the shipping lane through which India got most of its LPG. While LPG supplies have been disrupted, half of the country’s requirement of natural gas is produced locally and for the rest there are diversified sources.

The media was also informed that 18 Indian-flagged vessels with 485 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region; DG Shipping, in coordination with ship owners, RPSL agencies and Indian Missions, is actively monitoring the situation.

All Indian seafarers in the region are safe; no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the past 24 hours.