New Delhi, March 19 Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, the aviation watchdog, DGCA, on Thursday asked airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the region and ensure robust contingency plans as part of safety risk assessments.
According to an advisory, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to avoid the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The regulator said that Indian airlines can operate flights over the airspaces of Oman and Saudi Arabia, subject to certain conditions.
It told the airlines not to operate below FL 320 or 32,000 feet within the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Oman, located south of the segments defined by the following compulsory reporting points.
Regarding the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to "refrain from operating within the affected airspace at all flight levels and altitudes."
It added that any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment.
"Operations to airports in the affected region, where other international carriers are currently operating, must involve robust contingency planning to cover all eventualities, as part of the safety risk assessments by the operators," the DGCA said.
The advisory, the regulator said, is effective immediately and will remain valid until March 28, unless reviewed or superseded by further developments.
"Operators are advised to provide their flight crew with information regarding the latest NOTAMs, airspace restrictions affecting flights that are already airborne," it said.
NOTAM refers to Notice to Airmen, which provides real-time updates about airspace and airports to pilots and crew.
"Recent military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against targets within Iranian territory have led to a high-risk environment for civil aviation. In response to these strikes, Iran has announced retaliatory measures," DGCA said, adding that the current situation presents critical hazards to civil flight operations.