Air India suspends flights to West Asia, Europe, US East Coast till further notice amid Iran-Israel war

Amid the developing situation in West Asia, Air India on Monday night suspended all its operations to the region, along with Europe and the east coast of North America, until further notice. The announcement came after Iran launched a missile targeting an American military base in Qatar, resulting in Asian nations shutting down their airspace.

Amid the situation, several flights en route to key airports such as Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi were diverted to other airports. In addition to Air India, Air India Express, and IndiGo were also affected, according to flight tracking data.

Countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait have shut their respective airspaces, which leads to significant disruption of the services. However, Qatar opened its airspace later. Meanwhile, the closure duration of the most of the airspace in the region remains unclear. Some experts indicated that suspensions would be for short durations, with flights resuming in the affected airspaces within a few hours.

After Air India had suspended its services to several destinations west of India, as those routes involve flying over West Asian airspace, other Indian carriers have also issued advisories alerting passengers to potential delays or diversions on flights operating in the region.

Air India offers direct flights to Europe and North America

The West Asian air corridors are vital for air travel between India and Europe, as well as parts of North America. Currently, Air India is the only Indian airline offering direct connections to Europe and North America. Most other Indian airlines primarily operate short-haul international flights, particularly within West Asia.

“Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice. Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins, and others are being diverted back to India or rerouted away from the closed airspace. We request the understanding of all passengers who may be affected by this disruption that’s beyond an airline’s control. Air India is in continuous consultation with its external security advisors and is vigilantly monitoring the evolving situation. We will keep our passengers informed of any updates. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our number one priority,” an Air India spokesperson said.

“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. We have no other flights bound for Qatar. Air India Express has no aircraft on the ground in Qatar. 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,” an Air India Express spokesperson said Monday night.

Air India Express, for instance, runs 25 weekly flights to Doha, Qatar’s capital, with direct connections from cities including Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchchirappalli.

“In light of the recent developments in the Middle East, flight arrivals and departures from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Ras Al-Khaimah and Tbilisi are impacted. We are actively monitoring the situation and adjusting our operations to ensure the highest level of safety for our customers and crew. We understand that diversions/delays disrupt travel plans, and we sincerely regret the inconvenience caused. Impacted customers are advised to check their flight status on our website or app and may explore alternate travel options available online,” IndiGo said in an advisory to passengers on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter)

SpiceJet also said in its advisory on X, “Due to airspace closure in the Middle East, some of our flights may be affected. Passengers are advised to check their flight status.”

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel; however, 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations has not been concluded. After the Trump announcement of a ceasefire, the Israeli army confirmed that Iranian missiles had been fired at Israel.