India-Europe Airlines Add Direct Flights as Gulf Routes Face Disruptions
Indian and European airlines are ramping up direct flights between their markets. The push comes from disruptions in Gulf routes caused by the Iran war, according to a recent ETInfra report.
Airlines Step Up Capacity
Air India led the charge. Between March 10 and 18, it ran 78 extra international flights, which added 17,660 seats on nine routes from Delhi and Mumbai to spots in Europe, the US, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The carrier also added 36 flights from those cities to Europe and Toronto.
Others followed suit:
- Lufthansa switched to bigger planes on Delhi-Mumbai to Munich routes.
- Air France-KLM put larger jets on flights from Mumbai and other Asian cities.
- British Airways added services between London and Delhi.
Foreign airlines hold over 80% of India’s long-haul market share right now. In 2025, about 40% of Indians flying to Europe or North America used Gulf carriers with connections in Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi, ETInfra notes.
What Experts Say
Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), called it a realignment. European carriers and Air India are building direct links for reliability. Travelers get more options, less reliance on Gulf hubs, and steadier fares on India-Europe paths.
Anil Kalsi from the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) pointed to packed planes. Load factors hit near-full on many flights. Seats vanished fast, and fares jumped several times normal levels.
Gulf hubs like Dubai sit at a crossroads, with two-thirds of the world’s population reachable in four hours. But right now, that’s not enough to keep up with the shifts.