
AI Express diverts 2 Doha-bound flights following Qatar airspace closure
The airline said that it has no other flights bound for Qatar and no aircraft are on the ground in Qatar.
'As a result of the ongoing situation in the Middle East and suspension of Qatar airspace, Air India Express has diverted our Doha-bound flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned our flight bound from Kannur,' the airline said in a statement.
New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Air India Express on Monday diverted two Doha-bound flights due to the closure of Qatar airspace.
'We are monitoring the situation closely and will take all necessary precautions for the safety and security of our guests and crew, with inputs from the relevant authorities,' it added.
Air India Express operates 25 weekly flights to Qatar's capital, Doha. It has direct services to Doha from Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruchchirappalli.
Besides, the carrier has eight one-stop destinations from Doha — Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
In a post on X, IndiGo said some of its flights may experience delays or diversions due to the evolving situation in the Middle East.
'These adjustments are being made to ensure operations remain within safe and compliant airspace,' it added.
Iran has launched missiles targeting a US airbase in Qatar as tensions escalate in the Middle East. PTI RAM IAS RHL RHL RHL
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
US strikes on Iran add to global travel disruptions and flight cancellations
The US entry into Israel's war with Iran has caused travel disruptions to pile up globally. Israelis disembark a bus after they were flown back to Israel in a special flight, on June 16, 2025, in Tel Aviv.(AFP) Following unprecedented bombings ordered by President Donald Trump on three Iranian nuclear and military sites over the weekend, Iran on Monday launched a missile attack on US forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base. Qatar had closed its airspace just hours earlier, after both the U.S. and U.K. also urged their citizens to shelter in place there. The region has been on edge following the weekend strikes from the US — and since Israel began the war with a surprise bombardment on Iran, which has responded with its own missile and drone strikes, earlier this month. As deadly attacks escalated between Israel and Iran over recent weeks, sections of airspace and airports throughout the region have temporarily closed. And airlines cancelled more flights in recent days, with some halting select routes through the middle of the week — particularly in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran. Singapore Airlines, for example, canceled some flights to and from Dubai starting Sunday and through Wednesday, citing 'a security assessment of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.' And British Airways has similarly suspended flights to and from Doha through Wednesday. 'Safety is always our highest priority,' British Airlines said in a statement confirming its cancellations to The Associated Press, adding that it 'will keep the situation under review.' Air India on Monday announced it was ceasing 'all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe' immediately until further notice. The airline, which is still reeling from a plane crash that killed at least 270 people earlier this month, added that India-bound flights from North America were being diverted or re-routed away from closed airspaces. Air tracking data from FlightAware showed 705 cancellations worldwide as of Monday afternoon. Dubai International Airport topped the list with 75 cancellations in and out of the airport as of around 5 p.m. ET. And Air India had had the highest amount of cancellations among carriers, totaling 38 as of 5 p.m. ET. Such disruptions have snarled travel, particularly as central hubs in the Middle East often connect flights worldwide — but experts stress that these kind of airspace closures and flight diversions are critical to ensuring safety, especially if future escalation emerges suddenly. 'It is the responsibility of states, countries to ensure that their airspace is safe for passage of aircraft,' Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation. He added that on Monday 'the Qataris did the absolutely right thing to close their airspace because of the threat of conflict.' Beyond Qatari airspace, Flightradar24 reported that UAE airspace was also closed on Monday. After several hours of diversions, flights appeared to be landing and taking off in the country again. Monday marks the latest 'dramatic increase' in this kind of impact, said Ian Petchenik, director of communications at Flightradar24. And while the future is unknown, he added that it's important to remember airspace closures and flight cancellations reflect that 'airlines, air traffic controllers and flight crews are doing their best to keep everybody safe.' Shahidi adds that it's important for travelers to monitor government guidance — such as safety notices from the US State Department. How long the war lasts and what, if any, future escalation comes next could carry more widespread implications. Beyond disrupting global flight networks farther down the road, Shahidi stresses that it's very difficult for people who may need or want to evacuate countries impacted by the war to do so without access to commercial flights. At the same time, he adds, it's critical that state authorities focus on keeping their skies safe — pointing to past tragedies of passenger flights that were shot down by strikes. That includes Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down by Russian-backed forces while flying over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people. 'We are all praying and urging resolution to this conflict — and especially as it relates to protection of civilian air travel," Shahidi said. "We do not want to have an MH17, with innocent lives being lost in a missile strike ... We do not want to repeat that history.'


Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Kashmir: Cheer is back as tourists begin to trickle in
The return of hum of suitcase wheels, hotels, streets bustling with tourists, Valley is slowly regaining its charm. So much so that chief minister Omar Abdullah couldn't resist to take note. Tourists take a horse ride at Sonamarg in Ganderbal district in Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday. (PTI) The tourism industry had faced a setback after the April 22 Pahalgam attach, but, slowly, the travel industry is reviving in Kashmir. The attack had resulted in sudden flight on the tourists from the Valley and since then the efforts for tourism revival were underway. On Sunday, Omar Abdullah shared a picture on social networking site X from Pahalgam, where the tourist resort was full of travellers. The resort had become empty after the attack. From the last two weeks, tourism is picking up in Kashmir, thanks to the Vande Bharat train that is running packed since it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6 and the efforts of J&K government and tourism players from across the country. 'Tourism industry is resurrecting itself after the Pahalgam attack. The second part of June is turning out to be good with many visitors arriving here. Gradually it is increasing and we are even getting some hotels as 'sold out,' said Sajad Ahmad Kralyari, secretary general of travel agents association of Kashmir. Before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, over 2 lakh tourists were present in the valley. Post-attack, all scrambled to get out with 95% of tourist bookings cancelled. Now, the tourist footfall, as per tourism players, is 30-40% of what it was before the terror attack with the launch of the train service and reopening of 16 tourist destinations. 'The last time I was in Pahalgam I cycled through a market that was all but deserted. Today I came back to a Pahalgam that was bustling with activity. Tourists from various parts of the country competed for space with local picnickers who were enjoying the cool climate & rainy weather. It's very satisfying to see the efforts my colleagues & I have been putting in slowly bearing fruit,' Omar Abdullah wrote on X while sharing long queues of tourists. Sajad Kralyari said that the Vande Bharat train played its part in the influx of tourists besides efforts by local and national tourism players. 'The train did a lot of boost to tourism. Besides, the hoteliers dropped rates by 40-50%. The visit of the country's top travel agents helped a lot,' he said. Tour operators now hope that more tourists will come with the beginning of the Amarnath Yatra on July 3. Even the number of passengers and flights coming to Kashmir has slowly increased with tour operators saying they have started receiving advance booking again. 'Due to cancellation of advance bookings. I closed my hotel then reduced staff. Now I have opened the hotel again and in coming days will hire more people,' said Ghulam Mohudin, a hotel owner in Indra Nagar. The recent opening of 16 tourist places (eight each in Kashmir and Jammu) has also helped to attract tourists. Soon after the Pahalgam attack, the government had shut down 48 tourist destinations due to security reasons. Last week after security assessment, 16 locations, including in Pahalgam, were again opened and J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said more tourist places will be opened in a phased manner after security assessment. The J&K government took several initiatives to get back tourists, CM Omar Abdullah chaired a cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, and also held a meeting of administrative officers in Gulmarg besides hosting several travel association bodies in Kashmir. Prominent hotelier and former president of Gulmarg Hoteliers Club, Mukhtar Shah said that the tourism graph is increasing. 'This used to be our peak season with our hotels fully booked owing to heat in the rest of the country but unfortunately due to the Pahalgam attack, that is not the case currently but the graph is increasing and next month will be much better,' he said. He said that high spending tourists were not yet coming while flights coming into Kashmir are still half of what used to be before the attack. But he said the Vande Bharat train and Amarnath yatra would be tourism boosters. 'Train is the best way to boost tourism as those coming to Vaishno Devi will easily come here now. There is also an upcoming Amarnath yatra,' he said. Kashmir had witnessed back to back record tourist arrivals for the past three years. Last year, as per official numbers of the tourism department, 34.98 lakh tourists visited the himalayan valley, up from 31.55 lakh in 2023 and 26.73 lakh in 2022. This year , the numbers already reached 6 lakh till the Pahalgam incident.


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Air India board gave CEO Campbell Wilson a raise days before the crash
Mumbai and Bengaluru: A fortnight before the country's worst civil aviation disaster in almost three decades involving one of its flights, Tata-owned Air India's board handed its chief executive officer, Campbell Wilson, a new salary, under which he stands to earn up to ₹27.75 crore. This would be a 46% jump from the ₹18.98 crore he earned in 2023-24, according to Air India's filings. Wilson walked into the corner room in July 2022 and was promised a salary of up to ₹21.50 crore. The new remuneration package—which is effective 1 April 2025 and includes a fixed salary of ₹11.1 crore, ₹8.32 crore in performance-linked bonuses, and ₹8.32 crore in long-term stock incentives—was approved by the company's board on 27 May. This implies that about 60% of Wilson's current salary is tied to the airline's performance. Air India's ill-fated flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed on 12 June. According to Air India's disclosures, the salary structure does not include benefits and allowances such as rent-free accommodation, a car, and hospitalization. Among the highest The raise, which comes on the back of the board's recognition of his efforts to uplift the airline and for managing a series of internal mergers, positions Wilson's pay among the highest for top airline executives in the country. The country's largest and most valuable airline IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe, paid its CEO Pieter Elbers ₹21.61 crore in 2024, according to filings made by the company. Elbers was appointed CEO in September 2022. Privately held Akasa Air's founder and chief executive Vinay Dube received ₹8.65 crore in 2024, according to the company's filings made to the ministry of corporate affairs. And SpiceJet's chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh, got ₹5.4 crore in 2024, according to its latest annual report. Data from the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) showed that IndiGo had a 64.1% share of domestic passenger traffic in April, followed by Air India (27.2% share), Akasa Air (5%), and Spice Jet (2.6% share), respectively. Also read | We could have handled the delays better, says Air India CEO Campbell Wilson 'The remuneration of Mr. Wilson is commensurate with the remuneration of expatriates appointed at CEO/MD levels of similar sized multinationals taking into consideration the responsibilities shouldered by him," said a filing by privately held Air India. 'In addition to transformation of the flagship airline, Mr. Wilson successfully steered the integration of subsidiary airlines viz. Air India Express and AIX Connect into a single lowcost carrier, and the merger of Tata Sia Airlines (Vistara) with Air India." In addition to Wilson, the seven-member board of Air India comprises Tata Sons and Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Tata Motors Ltd chief financial officer P.B. Balaji, former Hindustan Unilever chief executive Sanjiv Mehta, and former chairman of Deloitte India P.R. Ramesh. General Insurance Corp of India's former chair and managing director Alice Vaidyan and Singapore Airlines' chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong are the other board members. An email sent to Air India seeking a comment went unanswered. Revenue rises Air India, which is still to file its financials for the year ended March 2025, saw its revenue jump from ₹41,261.2 crore in 2023 to ₹66,433.4 crore in 2024, a 61% increase. Losses declined from ₹13,960.4 crore to ₹7,273 crore during this year. 'I think the pay (to Wilson) is comparable and justifiable," said Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of the proxy advisory firm InGovern Research Services. 'This is because Air India's challenges are more complex and it is still completing the merger with Vistara. It is going through a transition and faces challenges of fleet upgradation and employee unions. The biggest challenge is developing customer trust." To be sure, the biggest challenge for the airline is regaining people's trust. On 12 June, an Air India flight to London crashed seconds after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport, resulting in the deaths of more than 240 passengers and crew, and several more on the ground. Also read | Will learn, emerge stronger from plane tragedy: Air India CEO in letter to staff Reports of the deaths, amplified by non-stop social media visuals, have shaken flyers' confidence and prompted many to cancel travel plans and dump Air India tickets,Mintreported on 19 June. Air India also faces risks, including delays in the 500-plus planes it has ordered. Additionally, the crash earlier this month has led to the DGCA inspecting its fleet of 33 Dreamliner 787-8 and 787-9 planes. Further, geopolitical skirmishes have led Air India to re-route some planes and even reduce the number of flights. Tata Sons spent ₹18,000 crore to buy Air India from the Indian government in January 2022. Subsequently, it merged Vistara, a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd, with Air India. Consequently, Singapore Airlines became a 25.1% shareholder, while Tata Sons owns 74.9%. Also read | Air India sees a revenue goldmine in long-haul transit traffic