New Delhi, February 28 Air India, IndiGo, and other Indian airlines cancelled their flights to the Middle East on Saturday, while the regulator, DGCA, advised the airlines to temporarily avoid the airspace of 11 countries amid the US and Israel strikes on Iran.
As airlines scrambled to deal with the situation arising from the sudden closure of airspace in the Middle East, hundreds of flights were seen hovering in different airspaces, according to flight tracking websites.
Many flights had to be diverted, including Air India's Delhi-Tel Aviv flight, which returned to Mumbai in the afternoon.
In the wake of the attacks on Iran by Israel and the US, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu held a meeting to review the preparedness of aviation stakeholders, including airlines and airports.
Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet have suspended their operations to the Middle East.
According to sources, as many as 57 flights of both domestic and international airlines were cancelled at Mumbai International Airport by 5:45 pm on Saturday.
The Amritsar International Airport also issued an advisory for passengers, saying that some flights had been impacted due to the closure of airspace in the wake of the conflict between Iran and Israel.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) advised airlines on Saturday to avoid the airspace of 11 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, until March 2.
The countries are Iran, Israel, Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Air India, in a post on X, said that it had cancelled all flights to destinations in the Middle East region until 11:59 pm on March 1, and that it was closely monitoring the situation.
"In view of the evolving situation around Iran and the Middle East, our flight operations to and from the Middle East and other select international sectors have been suspended until March 1, 2026," IndiGo said in a post on X.
Air India Express, in a statement, said that it had extended the suspension of its international flights to the West until 11:59 pm on March 1.
Akasa Air has suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, and Riyadh until March 2, according to a post on X.
SpiceJet also issued an advisory about the cancellation of flights to the UAE.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu held the review meeting with senior officials, and the focus was on ensuring passenger safety, operational continuity, and real-time coordination in light of multiple airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East.
"Airlines have been directed to ensure timely rerouting or diversion of flights, wherever required, strictly in accordance with global safety protocols and established contingency planning procedures," the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
Besides, airports across the country have been placed on operational alert to manage potential flight diversions, unscheduled landings, and passenger facilitation requirements.
According to the release, the Airports Authority of India and private airport operators have been advised to maintain enhanced coordination with airlines for ground handling, parking bays, passenger amenities, crew logistics, and immigration support, as necessary.
Airlines are also offering waivers for ticket rescheduling and cancellations for the affected flights.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry also said that it was in close touch with the external affairs ministry to ensure seamless information flow and appropriate coordination in case of any emergent requirements involving Indian carriers or Indian nationals abroad.
