New Delhi, Feb 02 : Air India has revised its international operations, deploying alternative routes for flights to North America and Europe while cancelling six services to European cities on March 2 due to ongoing airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East.
The airline also extended the suspension of all flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar until 11:59 pm (IST) on March 2. The decision follows large-scale disruptions that led to the cancellation of 50 overseas services on Sunday.
Among the scrapped flights for Monday are the Amritsar–Birmingham (AI117) and Birmingham–Delhi (AI114) services. The Delhi–Zurich (AI151/AI152) and Delhi–Copenhagen (AI157/AI158) rotations have also been called off.
All remaining long haul services to Europe and North America will continue under revised flight paths through permitted regional air corridors. These diversions are expected to increase overall journey times. Flights bound for New York’s JFK and Newark Liberty will now include technical stops at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, adding to travel duration and operational costs.
With Iranian and Iraqi airspace shut, aircraft are being routed via Oman, southern Saudi Arabia and Egypt for westbound operations. Officials indicated that the Egypt corridor alone may extend travel time by 30 to 40 minutes on certain sectors.
The airline stated that its operational decisions were made after evaluating safety, security conditions, airspace access and logistical feasibility. It added that the situation remains under close review.
The broader aviation network has been heavily impacted by the regional conflict, with the civil aviation ministry reporting that Indian carriers cancelled approximately 350 international flights on Sunday alone.