Indian airlines said Tuesday (03) that they were resuming limited commercial services to the Middle East in a bid to collect thousands of passengers stranded by war.

Millions of South Asian citizens live and work across the Middle East.

IndiGo said it would operate four return flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to “progressively normalise” operations between the countries.

Air India Express said it would resume flights to and from the Omani capital Muscat from Tuesday.

But services to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain suspended, the airlines said in a statement.

Budget carrier Akasa Air said it would operate select flights to Jeddah.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to multiple Middle East leaders, including the leaders of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, in which he thanked them for “taking care of the Indian community”, in posts on social media.

Several South Asian citizens have been killed in the strikes, including at least one Nepali in Abu Dhabi and two Bangladeshis in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Indian media reported one citizen killed on a vessel off Oman.

Modi said Monday he had also spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he “conveyed India’s concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority”.

Source: AFP/fh

--Agencies