Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 3 (ANI): With the ongoing war in the Middle East leading to widespread airspace closures, flight operations in the region have dropped to almost nil, impacting air travel between India and Gulf destinations, airport authorities said on Tuesday.

Speaking to ANI, Mohammed Arif, Director of Coimbatore International Airport, said, 'In the wake of this ongoing war in the Middle East region, the airspace there has been closed by multiple countries. Because of that, there is almost negligible flight operation in the Middle East region. India also operates multiple flights to the region on a daily basis from various cities in the country. Coimbatore also happens to be one of those cities that operates flights.

'Coimbatore is connected to 2 Middle East destinations: Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The Abu Dhabi sector is operated by Indigo, and its frequency is 4 days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Similarly, Air Arabia provides connectivity to Sharjah from Coimbatore, with a frequency of 5 days a week: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The closure of airspace happened on Saturday, the 28th, from the afternoon onward,' he added.

Mohammed Arif, Director of Coimbatore International Airport, stated that the Sharjah flight operates early morning around 3:50 am, while the Abu Dhabi flight departs in the afternoon around 3 pm. On Saturday, the Sharjah flight operated normally, but the Abu Dhabi flight was cancelled. On Sunday, both flights were cancelled. On Monday, only the Sharjah flight was scheduled and cancelled, while the Abu Dhabi flight had no scheduled operation. On Tuesday, both the Abu Dhabi (IndiGo) and Sharjah (Air Arabia) flights are cancelled.

He further said, 'For today, that is Tuesday, the flight is cancelled. Similarly, for Sharjah, yesterday was the day of operation, Monday, so the flight was cancelled. Today, there is no operation between Coimbatore and Sharjah. That is the status of cancellations as of yet.'

Coimbatore International Airport handled a total of 4,073 passengers on March 2, 2026, with 26 flights arriving and 26 flights departing. Domestic travel dominated the traffic, with 3,894 passengers arriving and 3,805 departing. International flights saw 179 passengers arriving and 229 departing. The airport recorded 25 domestic arrivals and departures, along with one international arrival and departure, according to the airport's official X handle. (ANI)