Flight operations between India and the United Arab Emirates faced disruptions on Sunday, with several airlines cancelling or scaling back services amid operational restrictions due to rising tensions in West Asia.In a related development, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted temporary relaxations in pilot duty time limits for long-haul flights operated by Air India as the airline is taking longer routes to avoid restricted airspace in the warzone. The restrictions over Iranian and Iraqi airspace have forced the airline to reroute services bound for Europe and North America via Egypt.Air India and Air India Express confirmed that a number of flights scheduled between India and the UAE were cancelled after directions from UAE airport authorities. The restrictions also forced the airlines to temporarily curtail certain ad-hoc operations, additional flights usually scheduled outside the regular timetable to meet higher passenger demand.In a statement, Air India said both the full-service carrier and its low-cost subsidiary had scaled back such ad-hoc operations for March 15 in line with the instructions issued by UAE airport authorities. IndiGo said it had cancelled several flights to and from Dubai due to continuing airspace restrictions in the region.As regards relaxations in pilot duty time limits for Air India, Sources said the aviation watchdog relief applied to long-haul operations conducted with two pilots until April 30.Under the temporary arrangement, the permitted flight time has been increased by one hour and thirty minutes, allowing a maximum of 11 hours and 30 minutes. The allowable flight duty period has also been extended by one hour and forty-five minutes to 11 hours and 45 minutes.