Indian flights can use UAE airspace to reach Doha

Timely intervention by the Indian embassy has ensured that Indian airlines to Qatar can now use the UAE airspace to reach Qatar capital of Doha, Indian envoy said on Tuesday.

Following the air embargo by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, flights from key Indian destinations had experienced a delay of up to an hour as they had to use airspace of Pakistan and Iran to reach Qatar.

"Flights from Kerala had to fly 50 minutes extra and 20-25 minutes for those from Mumbai. This meant that either hike in air fares or cut in baggage allowances. It had become a real issue as the airlines were losing money. The schedules too had to be altered. We were among the hardest hit country as we have 600,000 people in Qatar," Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri said on Tuesday.

Suri took up the matter with the local authorities on Monday and it resulted in removal of all imposed restrictions on Tuesday morning.

The firm stance by the Indian embassy has ensured that an impending fare hike with the onset of summer vacation has been avoided.

The ambassador got confirmation from Jet Airways on Tuesday that service timings were 'back to normal'.

Due to increased flying hours, Air India Express had restricted baggage limit to 20kg for passengers flying from Doha to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kochi and Mangalore. Jet Airways, Air India Express and IndiGo fly to Doha from Indian destinations.

Indians form the largest expat community in Qatar.

Source: Khaleej Times