Airspace closures across West Asia caused by growing US, Israeli, and Iranian military tensions have disrupted international aircraft networks and put operating strain on the global aviation industry.
There have been around 700 flight cancellations and hundreds more reroutes as of Sunday due to limited air corridors, according to industry estimates. A more extensive operational issue has emerged from what started as cautious limits, especially in one of the world’s most important transit routes that connects North America, Europe, and Asia.
Airspace between Iran and Israel is still subject to stringent restrictions, and major Gulf aviation cities like Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi have implemented navigation restrictions, which has caused widespread delays in airline networks.
Because of their dependence on transit routes in the Gulf, Indian carriers are among the most affected. Over the course of three days, IndiGo grounded more than 350 flights, with 166 grounded on March 1, 162 grounded on March 2, and 43 grounded on March 3. This amounts to about 7 to 8 per cent of IndiGo’s usual daily operations, which are 2,100 to 2,200 flights.
Air India and Air India Express are among the other airlines that have halted or changed the routes of numerous flights to the West Asian and Gulf regions in response to safety warnings.
