Air India has cancelled at least three US-bound flights and warned of delays on some Europe services following the closure of Iranian airspace, airline sources said on Thursday.
The cancelled flights include two services from Delhi to New York and Newark, and one from Mumbai to New York. The airline has also rerouted several international flights to avoid Iranian airspace, resulting in longer flight times and delays.
In a post on X, Air India said the decision was taken in view of passenger safety amid the emerging situation in Iran. Flights that normally overfly Iran are now using alternative routes, which may not be feasible for all services.
“Some Air India flights where rerouting is not currently possible are being cancelled,” the airline said, regretting the inconvenience caused by the unforeseen disruption.
Air India typically uses Iranian airspace for flights to the US and Europe. The alternative route via Iraqi airspace significantly increases flight duration, and in some cases, aircraft do not have sufficient fuel capacity to operate nonstop US services, sources said.
The disruption comes as Air India is already operating longer westbound routes due to Pakistan’s airspace closure.
Meanwhile, a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from Tbilisi, Georgia, narrowly made it through Iranian airspace just before Tehran abruptly shut its skies, aviation data showed.
IndiGo flight 6E1808, which departed Tbilisi late on Wednesday night, passed over Iran at about 2.35 am on Thursday and landed in Delhi at 7.03 am, according to real-time tracking data from Flightradar24.
The aircraft is believed to have been the last non-Iranian commercial plane in the air before Tehran’s aviation authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) suddenly closing most of the country’s airspace.