Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UAE-India 'bubble' flights to be extended until end-October

UAE-India 'bubble' flights to be extended until end-October

Indian aviation industry still awaits update on Saudi Arabia's decision to ban flights due to coronavirus spike

The ‘air bubble’ flights between the UAE and India will be extended till October end, a senior official of India’s civil aviation ministry has told Arabian Business.

The current bilateral arrangement on special ‘bubble’ flight services by airlines of the two countries was due to end on September 30.

“India-UAE air bubble will now be valid till October 31,” the spokesperson for India’s civil aviation ministry said.

Officials at various Indian airlines said they would more or less carry on with the current flight schedule to the UAE for the next month, following the extension of the special bilateral arrangement.

“We have scheduled about 230 or so flights to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi from various cities across India for September and will be carrying in with this schedule for October as well,” a senior Air India Express official told Arabian Business.

Vistara, the full service Indian private carrier, also said it will continue with their current flight schedules to Dubai for next month.

“Bookings for our Mumbai-Dubai and Delhi-Dubai flights are open till October 24,” the Vistara spokesperson said.

“We don’t have a regular schedule from other (Indian) cities but are open to providing charter services (to the UAE),” the spokesperson added.


Indian private carriers have also been operating bubble flights to various destinations in the UAE this month


Other Indian private carriers such as IndiGo and SpiceJet also operate ‘bubble’ flights to some of the cities in the UAE from multiple Indian cities.

Airline industry sources said airlines are announcing flight schedules only until October 24 as they will have to switch over to the winter schedule from the following day.

Airlines can announce winter flight schedules only after getting approval for them from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Even as the ‘bubble’ flights to the UAE are extended, there is still no word on whether last week’s decision by Saudi Arabia to ban flights from India – along with Brazil and Argentina – will be revoked any time soon.

Airline industry officials said since it (the ban) is a bilateral issue, only a government-to-government talk can change the situation.

“Saudi Arabia has permitted repatriation flights to bring back stranded passengers from Saudi Arabia to India,” the Indian aviation ministry spokesperson said when asked about whether the ministry has taken up the ban issue with its Saudi counterparts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×