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Amid the conflict and growing tensions between Iran and Israel, the Iranian airspace has been shut for commercial flights
IndiGo flights from Delhi to Tbilisi (Georgia) and Baku (Azerbaijan) are making a technical stop for refuelling at Doha (Qatar). (PTI file photo)
The closure of Iranian airspace due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel is causing major disruptions to Indian airlines flying to Europe, officials said on Sunday.
IndiGo flights to Tbilisi in Georgia and Baku in Azerbaijan now have to make a technical stop for refuelling in Doha, Qatar. Meanwhile, Air India is re-routing its European flights through Egyptian and Greek airspace to avoid the closed Iranian skies.
The Iranian airspace has been closed for commercial flights since Friday amid ongoing conflict, forcing airlines to take longer routes. This has increased flight times and caused congestion over alternate paths.
An official explained that IndiGo uses narrow-body Airbus A321 planes on its routes to Tbilisi and Baku. These aircraft do not have the range to fly nonstop on longer routes, which is why refuelling stops at Doha have become necessary.
On the other hand, Air India operates wide-body Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s on its European flights. While Air India’s flights do not require technical stops, the alternate routing has increased flight durations by up to 90 minutes.
Both IndiGo and Air India have not made formal comments, but IndiGo posted on its X account that the airspace restrictions over Iran are causing congestion and possible delays on routes to and from the Gulf region. It added that extended travel times should be expected while they operate via alternate paths.
Air India also posted on X on Saturday that, due to the situation in Iran and parts of the Middle East, some flights are operating on longer, alternative routes to ensure passenger safety.
These changes come as Air India is already flying longer routes to North America due to the closure of Pakistani airspace.
The longer flights increase operational costs for airlines because of extra fuel consumption and also create challenges with Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for crew members.
Earlier this year, IndiGo temporarily cancelled flights to Almaty in Kazakhstan and Tashkent in Uzbekistan because of aircraft range limits following Pakistan’s airspace closure.
(With inputs from PTI)
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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