India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) advised its airlines to avoid flying over Iran and Iraq airspace including the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The move comes after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibited its flights from flying over the airspace after Iran launched a missile strike on American military bases in Iraq. By Amitha Ameen
India is one among the several countries that were being asked to re-route flights to avoid flying over the troubled waters of Iran and Iraq. “We had held meetings with the concerned airlines and have sensitised them to remain vigilant and take all precautions,” the DGCA quoted to ANI.
Singapore Airlines was among the first who released a statement saying, “In view of the latest developments in the region, all our flights in and out of Europe will not be flying over the Iranian airspace. We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” ANI reported.
Taiwan’s China Airlines, Australia’s Qantas Airways and Dubai-based Emirates were some of the other major players who were all cancelling or re-directing their flights due to rising tensions in the region. According to reports from local news agencies, Air India and Indigo have already been re-routing their flights from earlier this week.
Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian airlines jet carrying at least 170 passengers including 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians crashed near the airport in Tehran.
All of this would mean that multiple flights are prone to getting delayed or cancelled. Flights will have longer flying time and could eventually result in a surge in ticket prices.
If you’re currently making plans to travel make sure you do your research before booking flights, so that you can avoid long wait hours, layovers or being stranded at airports. Those flying out West need to specially keep in mind the current situation before making any ticket purchases.
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