US, Israel–Iran conflict disrupts flights, Indian carriers suspend Middle East operations
Indian travellers faced major disruption as airspace closures following the Israel-Iran conflict led to widespread flight cancellations. IndiGo, Air India, Emirates and Qatar Airways suspended services, forcing longer routes and affecting travel to the Gulf, Europe and North America
Dubai: Indian travellers faced widespread disruption on Saturday as civilian flight operations were affected following the conflict between Israel and Iran, triggering airspace closures and flight suspensions by major Indian and international carriers.
The closures and rerouting of flights forced services from India to the Gulf region, Europe, and North America to take longer and more complex routes. The Gulf region, along with Iran and Iraq, serves as a crucial aviation corridor linking India and Asia with Europe, North America, and Africa. Disruptions across this vast airspace are rare and have resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights at some of the world’s busiest airports.
Major Indian carriers, IndiGo and Air India, cancelled their flights to the Gulf region.
“In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East have been suspended. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety for our passengers and crew,” an advisory issued by Air India stated.
IndiGo also said in its advisory that “In view of evolving airspace restrictions around Iran and the Middle East, all flights to and from the Middle East are cancelled till 0000hrs. These measures have been instituted as the safety and security of our customers and crew is our highest priority. Our teams are continuously monitoring the evolving situation and recalibrating operations to minimise disruption as much as possible.”
Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, suspended all flight operations to and from Dubai, citing “multiple regional airspace closures”. The Qatari Civil Aviation Authority announced temporary closure of the country’s airspace, effectively halting Qatar Airways operations.
According to Dubai International Airport, all Emirates flights were cancelled until 3 am on Sunday.