Airlines cancel flights to Middle East; DGCA advises carriers to avoid 11 airspaces amid Iran conflict

New Delhi (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and other Indian airlines cancelled their flights to the Middle East on Saturday, while the regulator DGCA advised the carriers to temporarily avoid airspaces of 11 countries amid the US and Israel strikes on Iran.

As airlines scrambled to tackle the situation arising out of the sudden closure of airspaces in the Middle East, hundreds of flights were seen hovering in different airspaces, as per flight tracking websites.

Many flights had to be diverted, including Air India's Delhi-Tel Aviv flight that returned to Mumbai in the afternoon.

With the disruptions caused to thousands of air passengers in the wake of the Israel and US attacks on Iran, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu held a meeting to review the preparedness of the 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 till 5.45 pm on Saturday..

The Amritsar International Airport also issued an advisory for passengers, saying some flights have been impacted because of airspace closure in the wake of conflict between Iran and Israel.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday advised airlines to avoid airspaces of 11 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, till 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 it has cancelled all flights to destinations in the Middle East region until 2359 hours on March 1 and that it was closely monitoring the developments.

"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 1st March 2026," IndiGo said in a post on X.

Air India Express, in a statement, said it has extended the suspension of its West-bound international flights until 2359 hours 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 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.