Air India has announced a temporary increase in its international flight operations, including services to the Maldives, as airlines respond to widespread disruptions in global air travel caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The airline stated that 78 additional flights will be operated between 10 and 18 March, covering nine key routes connecting the Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai with destinations across Europe, the United States, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The temporary expansion is intended to meet growing demand for reliable travel options as several West Asian air corridors face restrictions.

Under the expanded schedule, additional services will be operated on routes linking Delhi and Mumbai with cities including New York, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Malé and Colombo.

Speaking to Indian media, Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal said the airline is continuing to operate flights using safe alternative routes where necessary.

He noted that the additional services are intended to provide passengers with more dependable travel options during a period of uncertainty in regional air travel.

The temporary increase will add 17,660 seats across the nine routes.

According to the airline, most European services will be operated using wide-body Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, while flights to Malé and Colombo will be served by the narrow-body Airbus A320neo.

The move comes at a time when air travel to the Maldives has been affected by the Middle East conflict, which has disrupted flights passing through major Gulf transit hubs.