India has arranged additional flights with Air India and IndiGo to repatriate stranded passengers from Kathmandu after Nepal reopened its airport Tuesday, following a shutdown triggered by Gen Z-led protests in the capital.

“With the opening of the airport operation in Kathmandu, @MoCA_GoI, in coordination with Air India & IndiGo, has arranged additional flights this evening & over the next few days, alongside scheduled services resuming tomorrow. Airlines have been advised to keep their fares within reasonable levels,” Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu posted on X.

Hundreds of Indians had been unable to return home as Tribhuvan International Airport suspended operations when youth-led demonstrations spilled into the streets of Kathmandu, disrupting public life and raising safety concerns. The swift mobilisation of flights is aimed at clearing the backlog while keeping fares in check.

Air India mounted special services to clear the backlog. “Air India is operating special flights today and tomorrow from Delhi to Kathmandu and back to help passengers who have been stranded due to the recent developments in Nepal. Our scheduled operations will also resume from tomorrow,” the airline said, adding it was working with government agencies to facilitate travel.

Nepal has been gripped by unprecedented youth-driven demonstrations over unemployment, political corruption and disenchantment with traditional parties. The unrest has paralysed daily life in Kathmandu, forced a temporary airport shutdown and heightened concerns in the region about instability in the Himalayan nation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a stark advisory asking Indians to defer travel until stability returns. “Indian citizens presently in Nepal are advised to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution. They are also advised to follow local safety advisories from Nepal authorities as well as the Embassy of India in Kathmandu,” the MEA said.

IndiGo confirmed it had resumed flights. “Flight operations to and from #Kathmandu have now resumed… We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding and remain committed to ensuring safe and smooth journeys,” the airline said.

Authorities in Delhi are also monitoring ticket prices to ensure airlines do not exploit the crisis as Nepal’s protests show no signs of abating.

Air India and Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, have signed a new codeshare agreement to offer more flight options to travellers.

The codeshare partnership enables cooperation between the two carriers on trunk routes between Kazakhstan and India, covering Air Astana routes operated between Almaty and Delhi, and Almaty and Mumbai. With this, Air India will place its ‘AI’ designator code on Air Astana’s flights to and from India, providing its customers convenient access to Almaty, a rapidly growing tourism and business hub in Central Asia.

Air India customers travelling to Almaty from points beyond Delhi and Mumbai will be able to conveniently travel on a single ticket and check-in their baggage through to Almaty at the point of origin.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said “Our new codeshare partnership with Air Astana creates stronger air links to Kazakhstan, a fast-growing market with immense potential for tourism. Beyond serving leisure travel demand, our partnership will also support trade and cultural exchanges between our two countries, while bringing a new destination in Central Asia closer to our customers.”

Peter Foster, the Air Astana Group’s Chief Executive Officer, commented on the codeshare with Air India, “We are delighted to have concluded a comprehensive code share agreement with Asia’s oldest airline. Air India is an exceptionally well-managed business, which operates a comprehensive network of flights to, from and across India, the world’s most populous country and one of the fastest growing travel markets. India is of key strategic importance to the Air Astana Group as we increase flights from Kazakhstan to Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. The code share will accelerate the increasingly strong business, tourist and student traffic flows between our two countries”.

The new arrangement builds on an existing interline partnership between Air India and Air Astana that came into effect earlier in 2025. Under the interline agreement, Air India customers already have convenient connections via Almaty to multiple destinations across Central Asia and China including Astana (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Urumqi (China).  Air Astana enjoys access to 18 destinations across Air India’s domestic network and 9 international destinations via Delhi and Mumbai.

With this step-up to a codeshare agreement, travel between India and Kazakhstan becomes more convenient for customers while also opening a wider network of destinations through a single booking and check-in process.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the codeshare flights will be progressively made available for sale across Air India’s booking channels, including the airline’s official website, mobile app, and through travel agents worldwide.