Middle East Tensions Hit Indian Aviation: Major Indian airlines on Thursday, January 15, rerouted some of their international flights due to Iran’s shutdown of its airspace.
Why Iran Closed Its Airspace
Currently, Iran is facing widespread protests against its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid rising tensions with the US. And that’s why the country ordered the closure of its airspace for commercial aircraft without any explanation. As a result, airlines like Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet are being forced to reroute and cancel international flights.
Air India had to cancel its morning flights, such as
- Delhi-New York JFK (AI 101),
- Delhi-Newark (AI 105), and
- Mumbai-JFK (AI 119).
Return flights were also cancelled.
IndiGo Flight Forced to Turn Back
IndiGo’s Baku-Delhi flight, which was scheduled to depart early in the morning, had to return to the Azerbaijani capital within an hour as it passed over Iran after crossing the Caspian Sea.
Airlines Cite Passenger Safety, Warn of Delays
“Due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, Air India flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays,” Air India shared in a post on the social media platform X. The company noted that it is cancelling flights “where currently rerouting is not possible”.
“Due to the sudden airspace closure by Iran, some of our international flights are impacted. Our teams are working diligently to assess the situation and support affected customers by offering the best possible alternatives,” added IndiGo.
SpiceJet also shared similar travel information and attributed the impact on flights to the airspace closure in Iran. The airline said that “safety of passengers and crew remains top priority” and urged passengers to check the status of their flights on the company’s website.
Global Carriers Also Impacted
Other international airlines like Lufthansa have also been affected, and their flights are also being cancelled.
“Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the Lufthansa Group has decided, after careful evaluation, to operate flights to and from Tel Aviv and Amman as day flights from Thursday, January 15 up to and including Monday, January 19, 2026,” according to a Lufthansa spokesperson.
“In some cases, there may also be flight cancellations. In addition, Iranian and Iraqi airspace will be circumnavigated by all Lufthansa Group airlines until further notice,” it added.
India Issues Advisory for Nationals in Iran
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday asked all its nationals currently residing in Iran to leave by available means as the security situation in the country deteriorated further in view of massive anti-government protests and a crackdown on the demonstrators.
“In view of the ongoing developments in Iran, Indian nationals are once again strongly advised to avoid travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an advisory.
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