Air India suspends flying/overflying into the Middle East for 24 hours; US and Europe flights affected

With the escalating tensions in the Middle East, where airspaces are opening and closing as the threat assessment changes, with Qatar Airspace closed and UAE closing and re-opening, it seems to have become a game of chess to operate commercial flights at the moment. Air India has taken some steps to protect its assets and people and passengers from getting caught up in the crossfire.

Air India halts overflying over the Middle East for 24 hours

Air India at the moment has a large dependence on the Middle East Airspace, not just because flights are operated by the airline into the Middle East: including to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and other geographies. But they are also operating flights to Europe and North America, which routinely cross the Middle East.

The image shows a flight tracking map from Flightradar24, displaying the route of flight AI112 from London (LHR) to Delhi (DEL). The flight path is marked in purple, crossing Europe and parts of Asia. The information panel below the map provides details such as the great circle distance (6,744 km), average flight time (9:06), actual flight time (9:50), and aircraft details (Airbus A350-941, registration VT-JRE). The map also shows the current time (2:16 PM UTC) and other flight parameters like ground speed and altitude. An image of the aircraft is included on the right.

LHR-DEL operations on June 22, 2025 (via FlightRadar24)

The image is a screenshot from a flight tracking service showing the playback of flight AI126 from Chicago (ORD) to Delhi (DEL). The map displays the flight path across the globe, with a highlighted route from the United States to India. The flight details include a great circle distance of 12,044 km, an average flight time of 15:39, and an actual flight time of 16:37. The aircraft is a Boeing 777-337(ER) with registration VT-ALU. Additional information such as altitude, speed, and other flight metrics are shown, but they are marked as N/A or zero, indicating the flight is not currently in progress. An image of the aircraft is also included.

ORD-DEL operations on June 20, 2025 (via FlightRadar24)

Air India, in an email sent out their pilots at 11 PM IST (reviewed by LiveFromALounge.com), stated that

In view of the evolving scenario over the Gulf airspace, Air India has decided to cancel all flights flying over this region for the next 24 hours.

Now, here is the thing, if the Middle – East overflying is not allowed, Pakistan is not allowed and so on, and Air India does not overfly Yemen and Somalia airspace on its own, then it won’t be able to operate an efficient operation to the US. This means, that not only will the Middle-East operations be impacted, most likely the US operations will also be affected. For instance, Air India’s Chicago – Delhi (AI126), has been cancelled for 23 June 2025.

Even for the UK and European operations, flight will be significantly longer than 8-10 hours because of the airspace closures. Some flights have been cancelled as a consequence.

Air India issued a statement, which reads as follows:

Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice. Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins and others are being diverted back to India or re-routed away from the closed airspaces. We request the understanding of all passengers who may be affected by this disruption that’s beyond an airline’s control. Air India is in continuous consultation with its external security advisors and is vigilantly monitoring the evolving situation. We will keep our passengers informed of any updates. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our number one priority.

Bottomline

Air India has decided to not operate into the Gulf/Middle East region for 24 hours (starting 11 PM IST on 23 June 2025), because of the massive buildup of tensions there. This will not just affect their flights into the region but also their Europe and American operations as well.

What do you make of the cancellations by Air India?

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