After Israel attacks Iran, 16 Air India long-haul flights diverted

In India too, flight schedules were impacted due to airspace conditions over Iran, Iraq and the neighbouring countries, said a Delhi airport advisory.

Air India flights impacted

Air India too issued an advisory on Friday stating that "due to the emerging situation" in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace and in view of the safety of our passengers, the following Air India flights are either being diverted or returning to their origin.

Sixteen long- and ultra-long haul Air India flights were diverted on Friday, the airline said.

Also read: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief Salami killed in Israeli airstrike

The private full service carrier, in a travel advisory also said arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations.

Air India said its flight AI130 -- London Heathrow-Mumbai -- has been diverted to Vienna, the AI102 -- New York-Delhi -- has been diverted to Sharjah, while AI116 – New York-Mumbai to to Jeddah.

Also, flight AI2018 – London Heathrow-Delhi has been diverted to Mumbai while AI129 – Mumbai-London Heathrow -- and AI119 -- Mumbai-New York are returning to Mumbai, it said.

Air India flight AI103 from Delhi to Washington is returning to Delhi, and AI106 -- Newark-Delhi is being diverted to Vienna, the airline said.

Delhi airport advisory

Meanwhile, passengers flying out of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have also been advised to brace for potential disruptions in international flight schedules, as shifting airspace conditions over Iran, Iraq, and neighboring regions continue to impact certain routes.

In a post on X, Delhi airport said, Delhi operations are running smoothly but due to "evolving airspace conditions" over Iran, Iraq and neighbouring regions, some flight schedules have been impacted.

Passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding their flights, it said.

Also read: Israel has struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme: Netanyahu

https://thefederal.com/category/international/israel-struck-heart-of-iran-nuclear-programme-netanyahu-191696

Delhi Airport authorities have emphasized the importance of relying exclusively on official channels for any travel-related information.

Israel airport, Iranian airspace closed

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel's air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel, while Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, state media reported.

Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.

Budget carrier flydubai too said it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel and a number of other flights had been cancelled, rerouted or returned to their departure airports.

Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information said, "The situation is still emerging - operators should use a high degree of caution in the region at this time."

Threat to commercial flights

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 has led to situations when commercial flights have had to face drones and missiles across major flight paths at short notice. Pilots and passengers have even spotted them as it reportedly came close enough.

The most famous cases of passenger flights being caught in the crossfire in a conflict zone were in 2014, when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine and Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 en route from Tehran in 2020 were downed.