Indian Aviation Recovers: Flights Resume as Middle East Airspace Reopens
New Delhi: The Indian aviation sector on Tuesday started recovering from route diversions and flight cancellations due to air space restrictions in the wake of Israel-Iran conflict, after the main combatants agreed to a truce. Major airlines gradually resumed flights to the Middle East, Europe, United States of America and Canada. The airlines had to either suspend or cancel flights or re-route aircraft due to the tensions in the region, impacting thousands of passengers in the form of cancellations and diversions in which operations of several international airlines too were impacted.
On Monday, flights had to be diverted as some Gulf countries shut their airspace after Iran launched missile attacks on a US airbase in Qatar. The rerouting and cancellations has also caused significant financial loss to the airlines.
"As airspaces gradually reopen in certain parts of the Middle East, Air India will progressively resume flights to the region starting today (Tuesday), with most operations to and from the Middle East resuming from 25 June,” an Air India spokesperson said.
He added the flights to and from Europe, previously cancelled, were being progressively reinstated from Tuesday, while services to and from the US east coast and Canada would resume at the “earliest opportunity.”
“Some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings/flight times, but we are committed to minimising disruptions and restoring our schedule integrity. Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time. We will keep passengers informed of any updates and sincerely appreciate their understanding. The safety and security of our passengers, staff, and aircraft remain our top priority," the airline said.
IndiGo on Tuesday morning said it was resuming operations as airports across the Middle East gradually reopen.
“The flight operations into, out of, and through the Gulf countries have stabilised and are operating as scheduled. However, as airspace over Iran remains restricted, some flights may take alternate routes, which could result in longer travel times,” IndiGo airlines said in a travel advisory. It had earlier posted that as airports across the Middle East gradually reopen, the airline was prudently and progressively resuming operations on these routes.
On Monday late night IndiGo had announced that in view of the evolving situation in the Middle East, it flights operating to and from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Madinah, Fujairah, Jeddah, Muscat, Sharjah, Riyadh, Ras AL-Khaimah and Tbilisi were suspended at least until 1000hrs Tuesday.
Civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu said his ministry is continuously monitoring the situation and coordinating with airlines to provide real-time updates. “Passenger safety remains our top priority, and every effort is being made to minimize disruption and inconvenience,” the minister said.