At least 16 long and ultra-long haul Air India flights were diverted or forced to return to their departure airports after Iran closed its airspace following an Israeli strike in Tehran on Friday while another Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand headed to Delhi requested an emergency landing on Friday after a bomb threat was received on board.
The affected services include multiple flights from New York to Delhi, as well as from Delhi and Mumbai to London and New York, among others, according to the airline.
An Air India flight, en route to London, returned to Mumbai after three hours in the air, according to Flightradar24 data. The Mumbai-London flight remained in the air for three hours after departing from the airport at 5:39 am.
Air India said in a statement that due to the situation in Iran and the closure of its airspace, several of its flights are either being diverted or returning to their origin. The airline has also issued a travel advisory for passengers amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, following Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites and nuclear enrichment facilities.
Air India in a statement said, “We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and are making every effort to minimise it, including providing accommodation for passengers.
“Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling is also being offered to guests who opt for it. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations.”
Air India said its flight AI130 — London Heathrow-Mumbai — has been diverted to Vienna, the AI102 — New York-Delhi — has been diverted to Sharjah, while AI116 — New York-Mumbai to to Jeddah.
Also, flight AI2018 — London Heathrow-Delhi has been diverted to Mumbai while AI129 — Mumbai-London Heathrow and AI119 — Mumbai-New York are returning to Mumbai, it said.
Air India flight AI103 from Delhi to Washington is returning to Delhi and AI106 — Newark-Delhi is being diverted to Vienna, the airline said.
In a post on X, IndiGo said due to airspace closure over Iran and nearby regions, some flight routes may be impacted — potentially causing longer travel times or cancellations.