Air India to avoid Iranian airspace, says passengers' safety comes first

Amid the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, Air India decided to temporarily reroute flights overflying Iran saying that the safety of our passengers and crew members comes first. Several other airlines including IndiGo, Singapore Airlines and British Airways have also announced rerouting of flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace.

New Delhi:In view of the tensions between the United States and Iran, National carrier Air India on Wednesday decided to temporarily reroute flights overflying Iran.

Speaking to media, Air India spokesperson said, "The safety of our passengers and crew members comes first. In light of the tensions within the Iranian airspace a decision to temporarily reroute flights of Air India (AI) and Air India Express (AIX) overflying Iran has been taken."

He further said, "The re-route may lead to an increase in flying time by approximately 20 minutes for flights from Delhi and 30 to 40 minutes for flights from Mumbai. The situation is being closely monitored."

Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) "advised" Indian airlines to avoid overflying the airspace of Iran, Iraq and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

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A senior DGCA official on Wednesday morning said, "We held meetings with the concerned airlines sensitising them to remain vigilant and take all precautions." However, he also added that no formal instruction was issued.

Several other airlines including IndiGo, Singapore Airlines and British Airways have also announced rerouting of flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace.

A British Airways spokesperson said, "We are in constant contact with our partners around the world to assess the security of our routes, and will always take action wherever required. We would never operate a flight unless it is safe to do so."

IndiGo said that it does not operate over Iranian and Iraqi airspace, hence does not expect flights to Middle-East or Turkey to be impacted.

The US-based Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has already asked its airline to avoid flying over Iran and Iraq.

It is to be noted that Tehran targeted bases housing US troops in Iraq with a series of ballistic missiles in the early hours of Wednesday.