Flights to US, Europe hit over turbulence in Iran

INternational flight of steps trading operations connecting bharat with due west Asia, Europe and the US were disrupted betimes on Thursday after Iran temporarily shut its airspace amid heightened tensions, forcing airlines to re-route, divert and cancel several long-haul services.Iran closed, then reopened its airspace after nearly five hours on Wednesday amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, re-route or delay flights. Despite the airspace reopening, many airlines, including Singapore Airlines and TUI , continued to use alternative routes, according to FlightRadar24, as experts warned that the risk of further instability was still present.The Tehran flight information region (FIR) was closed for all flights at 3.45am IST, causing immediate operational flight disruptions for carriers operating over the region. “During the closure, no overflights were permitted. Only international civil flights arriving into or departing from Iran with prior permission from the Iran Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were allowed,” an official aware of the development said.“Delhi Area Control Centre (ACC) was informed of the closure by Lahore ACC, which cited military escalation as the reason,” the official added.A second official said India received the information at 3.12am IST, before a formal NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) confirming the shutdown was issued.The sudden closure severely impacted flights using air traffic service route G452 — a critical airway for aircraft flying from north and west India towards Iran, the Gulf, Turkey and onward to Europe.The route is widely used by long-haul international services from Indian metros as it offers a shorter and more fuel-efficient option.“Preliminary information from Lahore ACC indicated that aircraft operating on G452 were re-routed through Pakistan’s airspace to avoid Iranian airspace,” a ministry official said.As a result, airlines including IndiGo and Air India were forced to divert, delay and cancel flights, with both carriers continuing to avoid Iranian airspace through Thursday.IndiGo’s flights to Istanbul and Europe operated on longer routes, while flight services to Almaty, Tashkent and Tbilisi could not operate due to the sudden airspace closure. Flights from Almaty and Baku to India were forced to return to their original airports.The airline posted on X, “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. This development is beyond our control, and we regret the disruption it may have caused to your travel plans. If your flight is impacted, we encourage you to visit our website to explore flexible rebooking options or to claim a refund, as per your preference.”Air India cancelled three US-bound flights.Its travel advisory issued on X said, “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 route, which may lead to delays. Some Air India flights where currently re-routing is not possible are being cancelled…”SpiceJet issued a travel advisory through a post on X that due to airspace closure in Iran, some of its flights may be affected. However, SpiceJet did not see flight cancellations due to the airspace closure.