Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The attack slammed shut large swathes of Middle East airspace Saturday, paralysing the world’s busiest east-west flight corridor, closing Dubai, cancelling hundreds of flights and forcing Indian airlines to halt operations to the region as regulators warned of grave risks to civil aviation.Airspaces from UAE to Israel were closed, grounding hubs that funnel one-stop traffic between India and the West. Indian carriers cancelled all flights to the region through March 2. Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded at airports, including Dubai, as schedules collapsed.
Cirium data showed nearly 900 Middle East airline flights cancelled Saturday, led by Emirates group, Qatar Airways and Etihad. Aircraft and crews from Indian carriers were stuck across the region. Air India worked to extract staff from Tel Aviv.The impact rippled to India’s gateways. Fifty-seven flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport by 5.45pm Saturday – 24 arrivals and 33 departures – including an IndiGo Mumbai-London service. Fares surged. A one-way direct ticket to London touched Rs 1.4 lakh for March 1 travel.Airline suspensions widened through the day. Air India cancelled several long-haul flights scheduled for Sunday, including services from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to London, New York, Newark, Chicago, Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris. The airline said passengers are being informed and offered alternative travel options to reduce disruption.IndiGo said operations to and from West Asia and select international sectors were suspended through March 1. Emirates said it had temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.Airlines warned pilots of intensified GPS spoofing and jamming near conflict zones. For Indian carriers, airspace west of Pakistan to Iraq became off-limits. IndiGo’s CIS routes were also hit. Air India sought clearance to use China’s Hotan waypoint to bypass Pakistani airspace, a request still pending.Operational stress mounted. AI139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv turned back after Israeli airspace closed. An AI Chicago-Delhi flight rerouted away from Iraq. Major airports were put on alert for diversions and unscheduled landings, though capacity quickly tightened. Mumbai stopped accepting more diversions after parking bays filled.
