New Delhi: The airspace closure in the Middle East region, following the attack on Iran by Israel and US, has impacted India’s aviation industry badly. Several Indian carriers were forced to cancel flights on Saturday and the same scenario is expected to continue on Sunday also.
Flight cancellations on Saturday and Sunday from India
According to reports, on Saturday, February 28, the day Israel and US launched the attack on Iran’s capital Tehran, at least 410 flights from India were cancelled. On March 1, it is expected that 444 flights from India would be impacted due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The reason for so many flight cancellations is that several countries of the region, including UAE, Iran, Israel and Bahrain among others have announced airspace closure, following the tensions.
The DGCA meanwhile is continuously in contact with the airlines so that all safety protocols are followed and flight disruptions do not lead to chaos at the airports. The Civil Aviation Ministry’s control room is trying to solve the passengers’ queries. On Saturday, Air Seva, the portal of the government to assist passengers registered 216 complaints in total. The government claimed to have solved 105 of these complaints on the same day.
Air India put out a list of flights cancelled on March 1,2026. They also released a statement regarding the cancellations. The airlines said, ““As part of our continuing assessment of the evolving situation in the Middle East, in the interest of the safety and security of our guests and staff, Air India has cancelled the following flights scheduled on 01 March 2026:
•AI161/AI162 and AI111/AI112: Delhi-London (Heathrow) / London (Heathrow)-Delhi
•AI129/AI128: Mumbai-London (Heathrow) / London (Heathrow)-Mumbai
•AI169/AI170: Amritsar-London (Gatwick) / London (Gatwick)-Amritsar
•AI101/AI102: Delhi-New York (JFK) / New York (JFK)-Delhi
•AI119/AI116: Mumbai-New York (JFK) / New York (JFK)-Mumbai
•AI191/AI144: Mumbai-Newark / Newark – Mumbai
•AI127/AI126: Delhi-Chicago / Chicago-Delhi (via Vienna)
•AI187/AI188 and AI189 and AI190: Delhi-Toronto / Toronto-Delhi (via Vienna)
•AI2025/AI2026: Delhi-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Delhi
•AI2027/AI2028: Mumbai-Frankfurt / Frankfurt-Mumbai
•AI143/AI142 and AI147/AI148: Delhi-Paris / Paris-Delhi
The airlines apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience they were facing due to the cancellations. They said that the passengers would be given alternative options to minimise the inconvenience to them. Air India said that they were continuously monitoring the situation and would give updates regarding the flights after properly analysing the risks.
SpiceJet in a statement said that all flights operating between India and the UAE have been cancelled till 01 March 2026. They blamed airspace closure in UAE for the decision.
Passenger advisory
The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an advisory to passengers amid cancellation of flights from India. It said, “Passengers are advised to check and confirm their flight status with the respective airlines before proceeding to the airport.”
Major airports remain on operational alert to manage potential diversions and ensure seamless passenger facilitation, added the Ministry statement. Passenger assistance, airline coordination, and terminal crowd management are being closely monitored, with senior officials deployed on the ground, it said.
The government said that they were working with all stakeholders to ensure orderly handling of affected passengers and timely assistance to all concerned travellers.
A(part from the government, IndiGo airlines also came up with its own advisory for passengers. They said that they were vigilant and were continuously monitoring the situation in the Middle East. The airlines said that they would inform passengers regarding any changes in flight schedules and said that their teams are carefully reviewing all developments and taking measured decisions with utmost responsibility.
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