NEW DELHI: Flights between the West and India, mainly Delhi and Mumbai, will get even longer following the Iranian airspace closure on Friday after Israel attacked the country’s nuclear sites. Sixteen Air India (AI) flights were impacted Friday, with the majority diverting and the others returning to origin.AI had resumed overflying Iran shortly after Pakistan had closed its airspace to Indian carriers on April 24 to partially mitigate the longer route its flights had to take since then. While AI will have to take longer routes to and from the West, IndiGo between Delhi and Tbilisi and Delhi and Baku will become one-stop flights now. With both Pakistan and Iran no-go areas, Indian carriers will have to take really longer routes to reach Central Asia.“We are studying the situation and some AI flights may become one-stop after closure of Iran airspace,” said sources.Also, if and when Iran retaliates, the airspace of countries near Israel, like Jordan and Lebanon, also be impacted. This has in the past forced airlines to take longer detours in that area whenever conflict escalates.“Due to the emerging situation in Iran, subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of safety of our passengers, (some) Air India flights are either being diverted or returning to their origin. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and are making every effort to minimise it, including providing accommodation for passengers,” Air India said Friday. “Refund on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling is also being offered to guests who opt for it. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations. We advise passengers to check their flight status,” AI added.Air India flights impacted Friday were AI-130 (London Heathrow-Mumbai), diverted to Vienna; AI-102 (New York-Delhi), diverted to Sharjah; AI-116 (New York-Mumbai), diverted to Jeddah; AI-2018 (London Heathrow-Delhi), diverted to Mumbai; AI-129 (Mumbai-London Heathrow), returned to Mumbai; AI-119 (Mumbai-New York), returned to Mumbai; AI-103 (Delhi-Washington), returned to Delhi; AI-106 (Newark-Delhi), diverted to Vienna; AI-188 (Vancouver-Delhi), diverted to Jeddah; AI-101 (Delhi-New York), diverted to Frankfurt/Milan; and AI-126 (Chicago-Delhi), diverted to Jeddah.Also impacted were AI-132 (London Heathrow-Bengaluru), diverted to Sharjah; AI-2016 (London Heathrow-Delhi), diverted to Vienna; AI-104 (Washington-Delhi), diverted to Vienna; AI-190 (Toronto-Delhi), diverted to Frankfurt; and AI-189 (Delhi-Toronto), returned to Delhi.
