Indore News: Iran-Israel Conflict Disrupts Indore-Sharjah Flight Operations

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The outbreak of hostilities between Iran and Israel on Saturday morning disrupted operations of the only international flight connecting Indore and Sharjah.

The flight that was scheduled to depart from Sharjah for Indore remained stranded at Sharjah airport, airport officials said.

Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s Air India, operates the daily service between the city and Sharjah. Earlier, the flight ran only three days a week; from last October it has been operating daily. The service has become an important link for flyers from the region travelling to the UAE.

Ramswarup Yadav, PRO of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, confirmed the development on Saturday evening. Yadav said the flight from Sharjah normally lands at the city’s airport at about 5.30 pm, but it did not arrive on Saturday.

“At the central government level, the issue of flight operations from the Gulf countries and the situation of stranded travellers is being discussed. We are awaiting directions from the government. However, the airline has stopped operation of the Indore-Sharjah-Indore flight with immediate effect from Saturday,” an airline official told this correspondent.

Boarding completed, flight cancelled after 4 hours

Pramukh Mantri, a director of a local real estate group, who had boarded the Sharjah-Indore flight on Saturday, said passengers were cleared for boarding but the flight was stopped before take-off. After about four hours of waiting, the flight was cancelled.

Mantri said that, like him, several prominent politicians and businessmen are also stranded in Dubai and Sharjah owing to the flight cancellation.