New Delhi: Flight schedules, from India to the West, have gone haywire after Iran closed down its airspace due to the country’s ongoing war with Israel and the US air strikes that followed.
US B-2 stealth bombers struck three nuclear sites in Iran early on Sunday, resulting in escalation of the conflict.
Barely hours later, a British Airways flight from Chennai to London was forced to turn back after being informed that the airspace over Iran has been closed down. The airline informed that the 206 passengers on board have been cared for and the flight will be rescheduled as soon as a new route is worked out.
The flight had departed Chennai at 6.24 am after a 40-minute delay. After leaving Indian airspace and flying over the Arabian Sea, information about closure of the Iranian airspace was received. The plane turned back and landed at Chennai at 8.50 am.
Flight paths of Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet flights towards the West had to be reworked after Pakistan closed its airspace for Indian-registered airlines after the Pahalgam terror strike. Foreign airlines like British Airways are allowed to overfly Pakistan though.
Things have now changed with Iran closing down its airspace. Even foreign airlines are now having to chart new routes.
Several other flights from Chennai to destinations in the Middle East such as Kuwait, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have been affected. According to officials, a Kuwait Airlines flight to Kuwait, a Qatar Airlines one to Doha and an Emirates service to Dubai were delayed on Sunday.
