Middle East airspace closures disrupt flights as Israel strikes Iran

New Delhi: Air travel across parts of the Middle East faced major disruption on Saturday after Israel, Iran, Dubai and Iraq shut their airspace following Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.

Airports in most of the gulf countries were impacted, forcing airlines to cancel, divert or reroute flights due to safety concerns.

Israel closed its airspace to civilian aircraft soon after the strikes, while several airlines in Europe and the Gulf either cancelled services or changed flight paths to avoid the region.

Over the past two years, airlines have repeatedly faced similar disruptions in West Asia as tensions and conflicts have led to sudden airspace closures.

India’s national carrier Air India said its Delhi–Tel Aviv flight was diverted back to Mumbai after Israel shut its airspace.

In a statement, the airline said the decision was taken in the interest of passenger and crew safety and added that it would continue to review the security situation before operating further flights.

India’s largest airline IndiGo also said it was closely monitoring developments related to Iran and the surrounding region.

In a message posted on social media platform X, the airline said its teams were ready to make operational changes if required and advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

The situation escalated further after US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Israel were carrying out “major” joint combat operations in Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government described the strikes as “preventive.”

The closures also affected several international airlines. Russia’s transport ministry said Russian carriers had suspended flights to both Israel and Iran, while alternative routes were being used for services to Gulf countries.

The ministry warned that longer flight times were likely due to diversions, as per multiple media reports.

Dubai-based airline flydubai said some of its flights were disrupted because of the temporary shutdown of Iraqi, Iranian and Israeli airspace.

Airlines across the region are expected to continue avoiding affected airspace, leading to longer routes and higher fuel costs until the security situation improves.

IANS