CHENNAI: Flight operations at Chennai International Airport were thrown into disarray overnight after Iran’s Monday night missile attack on the US air base at Al Udeid in Qatar forced abrupt airspace restrictions, triggering a wave of cancellations and diversions that extended into the early hours of Tuesday, Chennai airport sources said.
Several international services found themselves rerouted or grounded as the regional aviation network struggled to absorb the shock.
Three Qatar Airways flights enroute to Doha – QR0963 from Denpasar, QR0829 from Bangkok, and QR0936 from Davao – were diverted to Chennai between 12.44 am and 2.03 am. The aircraft, comprising an Airbus A350 and two Boeing wide-bodied aircraft, were marshalled to remote parking stands as authorities scrambled to manage the unanticipated surge in traffic, sources said.
The fallout was not limited to Qatar Airways. IndiGo, a dominant player on the Gulf routes, cancelled multiple departures to the Middle East including flights to Muscat, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.
Arrivals from key Gulf hubs also bore the brunt of the West Asia turmoil, with inbound flights from Doha, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi withdrawn from the roster. Qatar Airways’ own outbound service to Doha, scheduled for 4.35 am, was cancelled, while the corresponding arrival, QR0528 from Doha, was cancelled from the schedule.
Air India Express flight which was to arrive from Dubai at 6.55 am and the flight departing to Dubai at 6.35 am were cancelled. Similarly, flights to Dubai and Sharjah, scheduled to depart from Tiruchy international airport on Tuesday, were also cancelled.
However, later in the day, the air traffic to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates resumed following the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.