At least 1,600 Indians have returned from Qatar to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, as the airline continues to operate limited services due to airspace restrictions in the midst of the Iran
war.
“Qatar Airways operated five flights to India today. These included two flights to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram,” said the Indian embassy in Qatar on Tuesday.
The embassy noted that Qatar Airways is only operating limited, non-scheduled flights and had announced flights to nine Indian destinations on Wednesday. “Embassy of India, Doha continues to facilitate temporary transit visas for Saudi Arabia for stranded Indian nationals who wish to travel to India via Saudi Arabia through land route across Salwa border,” it added.
Update/Advisory (1730hrs, March 17, 2026)
· Qatar Airways operated five flights to India today. These included two flights to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today.
·…
— India in Qatar (@IndEmbDoha) March 17, 2026
The embassy is open on all days in the coming week for consular services, including the issuance of passports. It also advised the Indian community to abide by the instructions of Qatari authorities on public safety.
Since the US-Israeli attack on Iran, Tehran has launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on several countries in the Gulf region, which has put a major chunk of Indian diaspora at risk. Qatar has accused Iran of launching attacks on civilian locations, including residential neighbourhoods and Hamad International Airport in Doha.
Speaking to the reporters, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the strikes had hit or attempted to hit civilian infrastructure, contradicting Tehran’s repeated claims that it is not targeting non-military sites. “Iran must stop the attacks immediately so that a diplomatic solution to the crisis can be found,” he said.
More than 1,300 people have been killed, while both military and civilian infrastructure have suffered significant damage in Iran due to the ongoing conflict. Hospitals, schools, airports and seaports are among the facilities reported to have been affected. At the same time, Tehran has launched waves of drones and missiles towards Israel, with the strikes reportedly killing at least 15 people there.
Amid the rising violence, Qatar and other Gulf nations have called on Iran to stop the attacks. Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations last week described the strikes as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, urging restraint to prevent further escalation.
