More than 750 Indians, some along with their families, returned to Mumbai from Kuwait early on Thursday by two special Air India flights.

The first flight arrived shortly after 0700 IST, while the second arrived three hours later, an Air India spokesman said.

Nearly 372 passengers were on board the first flight, while 396 arrived on the second flight, he said.

The flights were delayed due to 'congestion at Kuwait airport', he said.

The flights were earlier scheduled to arrive at 0320 and 0700 IST, respectively.

A third A-310 flight scheduled to land at Kochi with about 200 Indians, was expected to arrive at 1.30 pm, he added.

Meanwhile, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have said that they will keep their international airports open and flights will operate as usual even after the US-led attack against Iraq.

"Doha International Airport will remain open and Qatar Airways will continue with its normal schedule of flights to Europe, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and the Far East," Doha airport and Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said in a statement in Dubai.

"Qatar Airways will continue to use the Doha International Airport as its hub."

"I understand that given the current tension between the US and Iraq, there is concern among the travelling public. There are also contingency routes over Saudi Arabia that we have the option to use, that are safe and will circumvent any area of conflict", he said.

Director General of the UAE general civil aviation authority Mohammad Ghanim Al Ghaith also said UAE airspace and international airports would remain open to civilian traffic under all circumstances, including a war in Iraq.

PTI