Turbulence in West Asia hits global air travel

Time of India

3 hours ago

Following the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, Air India and IndiGo are rerouting and cancelling flights to bypass Iranian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace. These adjustments, impacting Gulf and European services, lead to longer flight times and cancellations due to pilot duty limits. Separately, major European airports face severe delays and cancellations due to staffing shortages and operational bottlenecks.
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Global flight operations were disrupted with the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites by the US and Isarel. Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo are rerouting and cancelling flights to avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspaces amid escalating tensions in the Gulf.Separately, major European airports are reported severe delays and cancellations due to internal operational bottlenecks.In a statement on Sunday, Air India said it has stopped flying over Iran, Iraq, and Israel. "Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Air India group confirms that our flights currently do not operate over the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel," a spokesperson said.The airline will also start avoiding sections of the Persian Gulf airspace in the coming days. Flights to the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait will now operate on longer routes.The longer flight times have forced cancellations. On Sunday, Air India cancelled its Delhi-Frankfurt (AI 2029) and Delhi-Zurich (AI 151) flights, along with their return legs, due to pilot duty time limits caused by extended routes, officials added."Air India is in continuous consultation with external security advisors and is closely monitoring the situation. Passenger and crew safety remains our top priority," the spokesperson said.IndiGo has also adjusted its routes. The airline has cancelled flights to Baku, rerouted services to Istanbul with longer flying times, and added a refuelling stop in Doha for flights to Tbilisi to avoid Iranian airspace, sources said.These route changes are limited to Gulf and European services directly impacted by the regional security situation.Meanwhile, a separate wave of disruptions affected Europe's busiest airports. Over 300 flights were delayed or cancelled on Sunday at London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Airlines impacted include Air France, American Airlines, Oman Air, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and United Airlines.These delays were not linked to the Gulf tensions or the rerouting by Indian carriers. Aviation agencies said the European congestion was driven by persistent staffing shortages, ground handling delays, gate allocation problems, and tight aircraft rotations.