Isreal vs Iran War : Flights Between the West and India to Face Delays After Iranian Airspace Closure

 Flights Between the West and India to Face Delays After Iranian Airspace Closure

Air travel between India (particularly Delhi and Mumbai) and Western countries is set to experience further delays after Iran closed its airspace on Friday in response to an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities. The closure has already affected 16 Air India flights, most of which were diverted, while a few had to return to their departure points.

Air India had only recently resumed flying over Iranian territory after Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airlines on April 24 — a move that had already forced longer flight paths. With Iranian airspace now also off-limits, Air India will once again have to reroute flights to and from the West. In addition, IndiGo’s routes between Delhi and Tbilisi, and Delhi and Baku, will temporarily become one-stop services.

With both Pakistan and Iran now restricted, Indian carriers will face significantly extended routes to reach destinations in Central Asia. “We are assessing the situation, and some Air India flights may be converted into one-stop journeys due to the closure of Iranian airspace,” said airline sources.

Further complications could arise if Iran retaliates. In that case, neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon may also close or limit their airspace. Historically, regional conflicts have forced airlines to make extensive detours in such scenarios