Flights and flight transit visas: How the Indian mission to the GCC is helping Indians return home amid surge in demand

NEW DELHI: As the Israel-Iran war escalates, Indian missions in West Asia including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are trying to get as many of their compatriots out of there as possible. While Bahrain has had no air connections since February 28, there are some flights from Doha and the UAE. But considering that more than 10 million Indians live and work in GCC countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, these delegations are coordinating with Indian embassies in Saudi Arabia and Oman (for the UAE) to get transit visas so that people can fly out of Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Muscat.But given the constraints of the war, Indians in the GCC are feeling the pinch. “On March 2, I applied for a Saudi pass (transit) visa for myself, my wife and my children. It has not been successful yet. I have been buying tickets to fly to Delhi with Qatar Airways, but I have been unable to fly out. Every time there is an explosion, our child gets very scared and it is difficult for us to comfort him,” said an Indian living in Doha.According to the aviation ministry, more than 150,000 people have flown to India from the GCC between February 28 and March 11. Air India resumed flights to Riyadh from Thursday, with Air India, IndiGo and AI Express operating four flights on the first day.Cirium, an aviation analysis company, said that between March 6 and 12, Dubai International Airport (DXB) had the highest number of flights to India at 167, with Mumbai having the most flights at 62, followed by Delhi at 56; Hyderabad ranked 25th and Bengaluru ranked 24th. India has been DXB’s largest market for many years.The Indian Embassy in Qatar said on Thursday that “Qatar Airways is expected to operate 1-2 daily flights to India in the coming days.” “Indian nationals wishing to leave Qatar will continue to have the option to travel to Saudi Arabia via limited flights operated by Qatar Airways if they hold a valid Saudi visa, or travel to Saudi Arabia via the Salwa border. We will continue to provide temporary transit visas valid for 96 hours to Indian nationals holding a Qatar visit visa and wishing to leave via Saudi Arabia.”There are no scheduled flights from the Emirates and flight slots are provided to airlines based on availability. India is trying to get as many seats as possible but the demand is too high.Those who made it back home narrated their ordeals and the work stress of Indian mission staff in the GCC. “The situation at the Saudi embassy in other GCC countries is crazy. The Indian embassy is coordinating to get the Saudi transit visa, which is a big help. We are very grateful to the embassy officials in Bahrain for helping us with the Saudi visa,” said an Indian who returned to Mumbai on Thursday.The embassy in Qatar has set up a war room to handle requests for confirmed seats on Qatar Airways flights or Saudi visas.