NEW DEHLI – India is facing major disruptions in its international and domestic air travel operations after rising tensions between Iran and Israel led to the closure of airspace over six Middle Eastern countries.
The sudden shutdown of air routes has particularly impacted Indian airlines, forcing widespread flight diversions and cancellations, and leaving thousands of passengers stranded or delayed.
Following an Israeli airstrike and Iran’s retaliatory action, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel shut their airspace as a precaution. The closure has created a domino effect in international aviation, but India has emerged as one of the hardest-hit countries.
Aviation sources revealed that Indian airlines have had to reroute dozens of flights, both international and domestic. Many others have been canceled altogether. The closure has compounded India’s ongoing airspace restrictions with Pakistan, further limiting its operational corridors.
The crisis became immediately evident when two Indian flights from Delhi en route to Europe via Iran were forced to return midair after Iran abruptly shut its airspace. Several other Indian flights were diverted to cities including New York, London, Toronto, Vienna, Frankfurt, Sharjah, Jeddah and Istanbul—causing long delays and confusion among passengers.
Flights from the US to India have been among the worst affected.
The airlines are now taking a longer route via Canada, Russia, Mongolia, China and Bangladesh, stretching flight times from 15 hours to over 18 hours.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s air operations also faced minor disruptions. The flights between Najaf and Karachi, Baku and Lahore, and Karachi to Jeddah were canceled. Several others arriving from Kuwait, Dubai, Sharjah, Istanbul, Muscat, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan experienced delays ranging from one to six hours.
With no clear end in sight to the Middle East crisis, the Indian aviation authorities are closely monitoring the situation. The passengers are advised to check with airlines for updated schedules as flight disruptions are expected to continue in the coming days.
Iran launches ‘Operation True Promise 3’ as missiles rain down on Israel
