Air India has stopped its flights from overflying the Iranian airspace as a precautionary measure, sources told HT.
This comes even as security concerns in the region grow amid nationwide protests in Iran.
The airline has rerouted its flights via Iraq.
This comes hours after IndiGo cancelled its flights to Tbilisi, Almaty, Tashkent and Baku till February 11. “We remain vigilant to developments in the region around Iran and are proactively reviewing flight operations, with safety being our highest priority,” the airline had said in a post on social media platform X.
IndiGo initially said it was cancelling its flights to and from Tbilisi (Georgia), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Baku (Azerbaijan) on January 26, 27 and 28 in view of the prevailing situation in Iran and after careful assessment. However, the airline extended the cancellations.
According to an official cited by PTI news agency, IndiGo operates flights over the Iranian airspace for the above destinations and due to the current situation, it is avoiding the airspace.
The duration of these flights from India to these cities are generally in the range of six to seven hours. IndiGo operates its A320neo aircraft on these routes, which do not have the range and fuel holding capacity to fly on longer alternative routes, PTI reported.
What is the situation in Iran?
Iran, which has been seeing nationwide anti-regime protests over the past month spurred by calls from exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, has launched a crackdown on protestors participating in the agitation.
United States President Donald Trump had warned Iranian authorities over the crackdown, threatening action. US naval strike group led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has arrived in the Middle East and is sailing in the Indian Ocean, the country’s central command said.
“The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability,” the central command said in a post on X.
Following this, Iran unveiled a mural warning for the US, with the country’s President on Tuesday warning that American “threats” would only cause instability, AFP reported.