india

Updated: Jun 22, 2019 12:28 IST

Indian airlines are closely watching the unfolding scenario in the Gulf region, where escalating tensions following the downing of an American drone and aborted US air strikes on Iranian targets have threatened to create a situation that could be dangerous to civilian air traffic.

Aviation regulators of several countries, including the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), banned their airlines from flying over Iran although India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to take a call on the matter. If India does follow suit, aviation experts said it could make some routes difficult for Indian airlines.

“If India decides not to use Iran airspace, it will be very difficult for Air India to continue flying to the West. Some of the Middle East flights of IndiGo and SpiceJet might also get impacted,” said Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation analyst and safety expert.

Also Read | Airlines reroute flights after Iran downs US military drone

An Air India spokesperson said so far, “Air India’s services are still normal”. An IndiGo spokesperson too said operations were on schedule.

But some of the world’s leading carriers including British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines on Friday suspended flights over the Strait of Hormuz, as US President Donald Trump confirmed that he backed down at the last moment from launching air strikes on Iranian targets.

Military conflict zones pose serious risks to civilian air traffic, with the case of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 serving as the most potent example. In 2014, Russia-backed rebel forces in Ukraine fired a surface-to-air missile that blew up the plane, killing 298 people on board – possibly mistaking it for a Ukrainian military aircraft.

Also Read | ‘A half-hour away’: How Donald Trump opted against Iran strike

Flights operating from India to Western nations have had to navigate longer routes due to airspace restrictions over Pakistan, which were put in place in February after heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over a suicide car bombing in Kashmir that left 40 troopers dead and a subsequent Indian air strike on a terrorist camp located in Pakistan. The suspensions announced on Friday will affect thousands of passengers.

(With agency inputs)