New Delhi/Mumbai: An attack closed swaths of Middle East airspace on Saturday, paralyzing the world’s busiest east-west flight corridor, shutting down Dubai, canceling hundreds of flights and forcing Indian airlines to halt operations to the region as regulators warned of serious risks to civil aviation.Airspace from the UAE to Israel was closed and the one-stop transportation hub between India and the West was grounded. Air India has canceled all flights to the region until March 2. Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded at airports including Dubai due to flight delays.
Nearly 900 Middle Eastern airline flights were canceled on Saturday, led by Emirates Group, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, Cirium data showed. The Air India plane and crew were stranded in the area. Air India works to evacuate employees from Tel Aviv.The impact ripples to the gateway of India. As of 5.45 pm on Saturday, 57 flights, including 24 arrivals and 33 departures, were canceled at Mumbai airport, including the Indigo Mumbai-London flight. Ticket prices soared. A one-way direct ticket to London on March 1 costs Rs 1.40 lakh.Airlines have extended their grounding throughout the day. Air India has canceled several long-haul flights scheduled for Sunday, including those from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to London, New York, Newark, Chicago, Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris. The airline said it was informing passengers and offering alternative travel options to reduce disruption.IndiGo said flights to and from West Asia and some international flights have been suspended until March 1. Emirates said it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Dubai.Airlines warn pilots that GPS spoofing and jamming will intensify near conflict zones. For Indian aircraft carriers, the airspace west of Pakistan to Iraq has become a no-go zone. IndiGo’s CIS routes are also affected. Air India sought permission to use Hotan in China to bypass Pakistani airspace, but the request is still pending.Operational pressure increases. AI139 flying from Delhi to Tel Aviv turned back after Israeli airspace was closed. AI Chicago-Delhi flight rerouted out of Iraq. Despite capacity tightening rapidly, major airports remain wary of diversions and unscheduled landings. Mumbai stops accepting more diversions after parking spaces fill up.
