Overview
- India’s regulator instructed airlines to avoid the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE, while some outlets report an expanded list of 11 high‑risk FIRs that also reference Saudi Arabia and Oman under conditional rules.
- Overflights across Saudi Arabia and Oman are permitted only in designated segments above FL320, with operations below 32,000 feet prohibited.
- The advisory requires rigorous safety risk assessments, robust contingency planning for any services into the region, continuous monitoring of AIPs and NOTAMs, and use of defined corridors where applicable.
- Reroutes are lengthening flights and raising costs through extra fuel burn and higher war‑risk premiums, prompting fuel surcharges by carriers such as Air India (Rs 399 on domestic tickets) and IndiGo (Rs 425–2,300), with temporary crew duty‑time relaxations for Air India reported by sources.
- Operations remain fluid on March 22, with Dubai open but experiencing delays, Air India and Air India Express scheduling a combined 50 flights to and from the region today, and IndiGo operating select services under ongoing advisories.