The Aryavarth Express
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): Air travel between Coimbatore and key Gulf destinations has been severely disrupted following widespread airspace closures in the Middle East due to the ongoing regional conflict, airport authorities said on Tuesday.
Mohammed Arif, Director of Coimbatore International Airport, said flight operations to the region have dropped to almost nil after multiple countries shut their airspace from Saturday afternoon.
“India operates several daily flights to Middle East destinations from various cities, including Coimbatore. However, due to the closure of airspace, operations have been significantly impacted,” he said.
Coimbatore is directly connected to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The Abu Dhabi route is operated by IndiGo four days a week—Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday—while Sharjah services are run by Air Arabia five days a week—Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
According to airport officials, the Sharjah flight, which departs around 3:50 am, operated normally on Saturday, but the afternoon Abu Dhabi service scheduled for around 3 pm was cancelled. On Sunday, both flights were cancelled. On Monday, the Sharjah flight was cancelled, while there was no scheduled Abu Dhabi service. On Tuesday, both the Abu Dhabi (IndiGo) and Sharjah (Air Arabia) flights were cancelled.
Providing the latest update, Arif confirmed that Tuesday’s Abu Dhabi flight stands cancelled, and there are currently no operational services between Coimbatore and Sharjah.
Despite the international disruptions, domestic operations at the airport have remained largely unaffected. On March 2, 2026, the airport handled 4,073 passengers, with 26 arrivals and 26 departures. Of these, domestic traffic accounted for the majority, with 3,894 arrivals and 3,805 departures. International travel recorded 179 arrivals and 229 departures, with one international arrival and one departure operated that day, according to official data.
