India Flies Home Over 52,000 Citizens From Gulf After West Asia War Halts Travel

India evacuated more than 52,000 citizens from the Gulf between March 1 and 7, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“New Delhi, March 7: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday that more than 52,000 Indian nationals have been safely brought back from the Gulf region to India between March 1 and March 7, following the outbreak of war in West Asia”

LatestLY

Of those repatriated, 32,107 travelled on Indian carriers and the remainder on foreign airlines.

LatestLY

Government statements and reporting emphasise the scale of the operation and the mix of commercial and non-scheduled services used to move people home over that week.

The MEA and Indian missions coordinated a centralised response.

Authorities opened a Special Control Room in New Delhi.

Mathrubhumi English

They set up 24/7 helplines.

They issued detailed advisories through embassies and consulates to assist those still awaiting evacuation.

Officials urged citizens in areas without commercial flights to contact local missions directly for guidance and support.

Reporting links the evacuations to a sharp late-February escalation in the West Asia conflict.

“According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), more than 52,360 individuals have been transported from the Gulf region to India via Indian, Middle Eastern airlines, and chartered flights as of 11”

The CSR Journal

Articles say the crisis intensified after strikes in Tehran and subsequent Iranian missile retaliation.

Those developments heightened regional insecurity, disrupted travel and energy flows, and directly affected airspace and commercial operations across the Gulf.

Partial reopening of regional airspace allowed both scheduled and non-scheduled flights to operate and enabled many of the repatriations.

Services remained disrupted with cancellations and reroutings.

The Times of India

Thousands booked seats on routes to cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi and Hyderabad as operations gradually continued.

Sources note the wider significance: the Gulf is a vital corridor for Indian travel and work migration.

“New Delhi, March 7: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday that more than 52,000 Indian nationals have been safely brought back from the Gulf region to India between March 1 and March 7, following the outbreak of war in West Asia”

LatestLY

They highlight that there are over 3.5 million Indians in the UAE, so instability quickly affects travel, jobs and cross-border movement.

LatestLY

New Delhi remains in constant coordination with Gulf governments and airlines and has said further movements may be required as the situation evolves.