Air India announce the suspension of all flights connecting routes to and from Middle East, North America, Europe amid increasing tensions between Iran and Israel.
“Amid the growing scenario in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the place to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with instant effect, till further notice,” a spokesperson said.
Air India Flights Returns and re-routed
As per airline, all India flights from North America are both returning to their points of starting or re-routed away from war areas and closed airspaces.
“Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins, and others diverted back to India or re-routed away from the closed airspaces,” the spokesperson said. Air India Express also affected, with some flights diverted. “As a result of the ongoing scenario in the Middle East and suspension of Qatar airspace, Air India Express has diverted our Doha-based flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned our flight from Kannur,” the airline said.
It operates 25 weekly flights to Doha, with direct services from Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchchirappalli. Also, the airline connects Doha to 8 Indian cities — Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune — through one-stop flights.
Focus on safety of Passengers
Reassuring the public, Air India emphasized that the safety of its passengers and team remains on top. “Airline is in continuous consultation with its external security advisors and is tracking the evolving situation. We will maintain our passengers knowledgeable of any updates. The safety and protection of our passengers and staff is our top priority,” the statement read.
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