4 min readNew DelhiFeb 28, 2026 04:35 PM IST
With a major escalation in the conflict in West Asia with Israel and the US striking Iran, numerous west-bound flights of Indian airlines have been impacted due to airspace closures in the region and the increased risk in operating through it. India’s largest airline IndiGo and Tata group carriers Air India and Air India Express have suspended flights to all destinations in the region, while SpiceJet has also informed passengers that some of the airline’s flights might be affected due to the crisis.
With Saturday morning’s military strikes by Israel and the US across targets in Iran, and Tehran’s retaliation leading to various West Asian countries closing their airspaces, numerous flights had to be diverted, including some of Indian airlines. These included Air India’s Delhi-Tel Aviv flight that turned around and headed to Mumbai instead, as per flight tracking data. Other flights that were headed from India to destinations in countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia but had to turn back or divert include Air India’s Delhi-Riyadh flight, IndiGo’s Amritsar-Sharjah flight, Air India Express’s Vijayawada-Sharjah and Mangaluru-Doha flights, and Flydubai’s Lucknow-Dubai flights.
Apart from Iran and Israel, other countries whose airspaces were closed fully or partially include Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE. Qatar and the UAE are global aviation hubs with massive flight traffic, and disruption of flight operations in these regions could have a cascading impact on flight operations in various parts of the world. Major global airlines from the region—Qatar Airways and Emirates—also warned of disruptions due to airspace closures.
Indian carriers were already avoiding the Iranian airspace for the past few weeks, but the broader West Asian airspace is important for them not just because of their operations in the region, but overflying to destinations in Europe and North America. If the airspace restrictions in the region stay in place for an extended period, it could significantly impact Indian airlines’ operations to West Asia and beyond. While all major Indian carriers serve destinations in West Asia, IndiGo and Air India also fly beyond the region; IndiGo to Europe and Air India to Europe and North America. For reaching destinations in these regions while skirting most of the West Asian airspace, the carriers would need to take longer routes, and even refueling halts in some cases.
In a passenger advisory on social media platform X, IndiGo said: “In view of evolving airspace restrictions around Iran and Middle East, all flights to and from Middle East are cancelled till 0000hrs. These measures have been instituted as the safety and security of our customers and crew is our highest priority. Our teams are continuously monitoring the evolving situation and recalibrating operations to minimise disruption as much as possible. Customers are advised to check their flight status prior to departure.”
In its advisory on the situation, Air India said: “In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East have been suspended. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety for our passengers and crew. We will continue to assess the safety and security environment for our flight operations and adjust operations proactively as required. Our teams will be extending all necessary support to passengers.”
“In view of the developing situation in parts of the Gulf Region, Air India Express has suspended all westbound international flights. The safety and security of our guests and crew remain our highest priority. We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and will proactively review and adjust our operations as necessary. Our teams are extending all possible support and assistance to impacted guests,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.
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