Air India Express restores West Asia network with Kuwait, Salalah flights
Synopsis
Air India Express has fully restored its West Asia network as of 2 July, resuming flights to Salalah and Kuwait from Kozhikode and Bengaluru. With ~780 weekly India-Gulf flights now operational across 18 Indian cities and 13 Gulf destinations, the carrier is aggressively consolidating its dominance on one of aviation's busiest diaspora corridors.
Key Takeaways
Air India Express resumed Kozhikode–Salalah flights from 2 July 2025 , initially twice a week.
Kozhikode–Kuwait service restarted on 3 July , expanding to 3 weekly flights from 5 July .
Bengaluru–Kuwait flights resume on 4 July , scaling to 3 weekly flights from 7 July .
The airline now serves 2 Oman airports — Muscat and Salalah — with ~ 40 weekly Muscat flights to 7 Indian cities.
Total India–West Asia network stands at ~ 780 weekly flights across 13 Gulf destinations and 18 Indian cities .
New routes recently added include Navi Mumbai–Abu Dhabi , Guwahati–Dubai , and Bengaluru–Phuket .
Air India Express on Thursday, 2 July 2025, announced the full restoration of its West Asia network by resuming flight services to Salalah, Oman and Kuwait, reinforcing air connectivity between India and the Gulf region. The move brings the carrier's total weekly flights between India and West Asia to approximately 780, linking 18 Indian cities with Gulf destinations across six countries.
Route-wise Resumption Schedule
The Kozhikode–Salalah route was the first to resume, operating from 2 July with an initial frequency of twice a week. The Kozhikode–Kuwait service follows from 3 July with one weekly flight, scaling up to three weekly flights from 5 July. The Bengaluru–Kuwait route resumes from 4 July with one weekly service, increasing to three weekly flights from 7 July.
Additionally, Air India Express has reinstated flights between Muscat and Mangaluru from 3 July. All Kuwait-bound and Kuwait-originating flights will operate from Terminal 4 at Kuwait International Airport.
Expanded Oman Presence
With the revival of Salalah operations, Air India Express now serves two airports in Oman — Muscat International Airport and Salalah International Airport. The carrier currently operates around 40 weekly flights from Muscat to seven destinations across India, cementing its position as a key carrier on the India–Oman corridor.
Network Scale and New Routes
Air India Express now covers 13 destinations across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In recent weeks, the airline has also launched new routes including Navi Mumbai–Abu Dhabi, Guwahati–Abu Dhabi, Guwahati–Dubai, Bengaluru–Phuket, and Pune–Amritsar.
Following these additions, Bengaluru emerges as a major hub for the carrier, with approximately 415 weekly flights connecting the city to 30 domestic and 7 international destinations. From Kozhikode, the airline now operates around 85 weekly flights to Bengaluru and 13 West Asia destinations.
How to Book
Tickets for all reinstated and new routes are available via the airline's official website, mobile application, and major third-party booking platforms. Frequencies on the newly resumed routes are set to increase in phases over the coming days, the airline said.
The resumption signals a broader recovery in India–Gulf aviation demand, a corridor that supports millions of Indian workers and expatriates in the region.
Point of View
Which is underpinned by one of the world's largest diaspora labour flows rather than discretionary tourism. Air India Express is clearly moving to lock in market share before competitors consolidate post-suspension capacity. The phased frequency ramp-up on Kuwait and Salalah routes is pragmatic, but the real test is whether load factors justify the expansion beyond the initial weeks. Bengaluru's emergence as a dual domestic-international hub with 415 weekly flights also signals a deliberate strategy to reduce over-dependence on legacy Kerala-Gulf routes — a smart hedge as Gulf labour migration patterns gradually diversify.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Air India Express routes to West Asia have been restored in July 2025?
Air India Express has restored the Kozhikode–Salalah route from 2 July, Kozhikode–Kuwait and Muscat–Mangaluru from 3 July, and Bengaluru–Kuwait from 4 July. Frequencies on these routes will increase in phases over the following days.
How many weekly flights does Air India Express operate between India and the Gulf?
Air India Express currently operates approximately 780 weekly flights between India and West Asia, connecting 18 Indian cities with 13 destinations across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Which airports in Oman does Air India Express now serve?
Following the resumption of Salalah operations, Air India Express serves two airports in Oman — Muscat International Airport and Salalah International Airport. Around 40 weekly flights operate from Muscat to seven Indian destinations.
From which terminal do Air India Express Kuwait flights operate?
All Air India Express flights to and from Kuwait operate from Terminal 4 at Kuwait International Airport, applicable to both Kozhikode–Kuwait and Bengaluru–Kuwait services.
What new international routes has Air India Express recently launched?
In recent weeks, Air India Express has launched services on Navi Mumbai–Abu Dhabi, Guwahati–Abu Dhabi, Guwahati–Dubai, Bengaluru–Phuket, and Pune–Amritsar, expanding both its international and domestic network.
