The Government of India held an inter-ministerial media briefing on 4 May 2026, providing a comprehensive update on fuel supply, maritime operations, and airspace connectivity as the West Asia crisis enters its third month.
On the maritime front, all Indian seafarers in the region are safe and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Directorate General of Shipping’s dedicated control room has handled 8,414 calls and over 18,064 emails since activation, and has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 2,976 Indian seafarers from across the Gulf region. Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported.
On energy supply, the government has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre to protect consumers from abnormal crude price increases, and has also reduced the export levy on diesel from Rs 55.50 to Rs 23 per litre and on ATF from Rs 42 to Rs 33 per litre. Retail prices at PSU OMC outlets remain unchanged.
Fertiliser availability remains robust, with total stocks at 195.71 lakh metric tonnes against a Kharif 2026 requirement of 390.54 lakh metric tonnes, representing over 50 per cent coverage, significantly higher than the usual level of approximately 33 per cent.
On airspace, the overall flight situation continues to improve, with UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq airspace open, Qatar airspace partially open, and Iran airspace partially open for cargo and chartered flights only.
Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India
