SAARC

The Tata Group-owned carrier on Wednesday announced a series of cuts and suspensions across international routes between June and Aug 2026 owing to continued airspace restrictions in certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices impacting long-haul and international operations.

Air India is suspending and reducing flights on 29 international routes between June and August 2026 due to the West Asia conflict, rising jet fuel prices, and airspace restrictions. These temporary changes aim to improve operational stability and mitigate passenger inconvenience amid global aviation disruptions. The airline will continue operating over 1,200 international flights monthly across five continents.

Air India is temporarily rationalizing several international routes between June and August 2026 due to operational and economic pressures, including airspace restrictions and high fuel prices. This decision will impact thousands of international travelers during the peak summer season, with significant changes to North American, European, Australian, and Southeast Asian networks.

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Air India group has revised its fuel surcharge for domestic and international flights due to rising oil prices and Middle East tensions. Domestic fares will now be distance-linked, while international surcharges see steeper increases, reflecting global jet fuel price surges and increased refinery margins. These changes aim to partially offset rising operational costs for the airline.

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has released its 2026–27 prospectus, detailing eligibility, entrance exams, fee structures, and timelines for all programs. The university expanded test centres to eleven and revised international student fees. The registration deadline has been extended to April 2, 2026, with admissions for specific programs open 10 days post-results. Applicants must apply through the official portal.

: Zoom today is much more than just meetings. During the pandemic we became synonymous with video meetings, but the platform has evolved significantly since then, says Sameer Raje, General Manager and Head – India & SAARC at Zoom.

IndiGo will implement a fuel surcharge ranging from Rs 425 to Rs 2,300 on domestic and international flights starting March 14. This decision follows a significant surge in aviation turbine fuel prices due to Middle East geopolitical tensions. Air India and Air India Express have also announced similar surcharges on their tickets.

Air India is implementing a phased fuel surcharge on domestic and international flights due to a sharp rise in aviation fuel prices. The airline will introduce new charges across various routes, including SAARC, West Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, starting March 12, 2026. A third phase for Far East routes is planned, with existing bookings unaffected.

India sent out a clear message to Pakistan on Monday, warning it that South Asian nations would find other ways to cooperate on regional initiatives if it continues to block initiatives under the SAARC banner. He also presented a snapshot of what a ‘SAARC without Pakistan’ could achieve.

Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming SAARC leaders for the 19th Summit in November but it was postponed when "India impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter", Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

Making a strong pitch for SAARC nations to jointly combat coronavirus, PM Modi on Sunday proposed setting up a COVID-19 emergency fund with India committing USD 10 million initially for it, and asserted that the best way to deal with the pandemic was by coming together, and not growing apart. The PM made a series of suggestions which were hailed by members.

Services market within the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region could be liberalized.

The government on Thursday said it is yet to decide on the level of India's participation at the SAARC finance ministers meeting later this month in Islamabad, amid indications that Arun Jaitley may skip the conference due to strain in ties between the two countries.

India and other SAARC nations will soon hold a video conference of trade officials to study the likely impact of Covid-19 on intraregional trade, sources said. India is also looking to quickly launch an information exchange platform (IEP) to facilitate real time exchanges among health professionals of SAARC countries. India pledged $10 mn to the Covid-19 Emergency SAARC fund.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif agreed to sign the SAARC framework agreement for energy which allowed India to hail PM Narendra Modi's first SAARC outing as a “success”.

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka had already pulled out of the SAARC summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which is not right for the successful holding of the meet

Pakistan and Bangladesh skipped a two-day meeting of security and intelligence officials of SAARC countries which began here on Thursday.

The 31st Charter Day of the eight-member grouping SAARC was observed in Nepal on Tuesday which saw participation of senior ministers and officials.

After Pakistan pledged to donate $3 million to SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, India on Friday highlighted the "early commitment" made by other member countries and said the 'degree of seriousness' of each nation can be gauged by its behaviour. The SAARC countries immediately responded to Covid-19 emergency fund, Pak announced its contribution on Thursday.

Nepal ambassador to India Nilambar Acharya said that Bimstec, which India is looking to shore up, cannot be a substitute for SAARC. The ambassador also said that SAARC had nothing to do with bilateral disputes and that the region cannot grow rapidly without cooperation among South Asian nations.

Isro chairman AS Kiran Kumar on Monday said the Indian space agency is planning to launch the first SAARC satellite by the end of next year.

SAARC countries today vowed to combat common challenges of terrorism, piracy, human trafficking, drugs smuggling, cyber crime and corruption by forging cooperation among the law enforcement agencies of the eight-member grouping.