Israel-Iran war: Gulf airspace closures leave passengers stranded

NEW DELHI: With several West Asian countries shutting their air space following the US-Israel attacks on Iran and the latter's retaliatory strikes, overseas travel has been disrupted, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

Apart from Iran and Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain are among those that have stopped flights. This closes off a crucial aviation corridor connecting India to Europe, the US and Africa as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar are key hubs, said travel industry associations and industry insiders. Those employed in the Gulf and visiting home in India and elsewhere in the region are stuck for the foreseeable future, they added.

IndiGo said it was suspending flight operations to the Gulf and some overseas sectors until March 1. Air India posted that flights to all destinations in West Asia had been suspended. Thousands of passengers were stranded at airports on Saturday, said Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group.


"We have been getting non-stop calls from several clients who had connecting flights. A lot of our clients and friends are stuck in destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Sharjah because of the conflict. Most of them were traveling beyond the Middle East," he said. "The Russia Ukraine conflict did not have the kind of consequence a crisis in the Middle East could have. Even during the India-Pakistan conflict, the Middle East airspace was open."

Dubai-based Emirates alone has three-five daily flights from key cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, using wide-bodied Boeing 777s to cater to the demand, said Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president Sunil Kumar.

"This could lead to the biggest chaos ever in recent times," he said. "Customers are badly hit and we are requesting airlines to help customers by getting their tickets reissued on carriers that are flying. But that is subject to availability and, if no alternate options are available, what can the airlines do?"

Emirates said on Saturday that it was suspending operations to and from Dubai due to multiple airspace regional airspace closures.

Tour operators are coordinating closely with airlines and overseas partners to minimise inconvenience to travellers, said Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.