India asks airlines to avoid 9 Weat Asia airspaces, including UAE till Mar 28

New Delhi: India has restricted its airlines from operating flights to nine airspaces in West Asia amid the growing tensions between Iran and Israel. With this, Indian expatriates who returned home would not be able to return to their workplaces. The flight disruptions and hike in ticket fares are affecting huge number of people around the globe.

In an advisory issued on March 19, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed airlines to refrain from flying over the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It also instructed carriers to ensure robust contingency plans as part of their safety risk assessments.

The advisory, the regulator said, was effective immediately and would remain valid until March 28, unless reviewed or superseded by further developments.

Indian airlines can operate flights over Oman and Saudi Arabia airspaces, subject to certain conditions, the regulator said. But, the airlines are not allowed to operate below FL 320 or 32,000 feet within the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Oman, located south of the segments defined by the following compulsory reporting points.

About the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to "refrain from operating within the affected airspace...at all flight levels and altitudes".

Any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment, it added.

"Operations to airports in the affected region, where other international carriers are currently operating, must involve robust contingency planning to cover all eventualities, as part of the safety risk assessments by the operators," the DGCA said.

"Operators are advised to provide their flight crew with information regarding latest NOTAMs, airspace restrictions affecting flight that are already airborne," it said.

NOTAM refers to Notice to Airmen, which provides real-time updates about airspace and airports to pilots and crew.

"Recent military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against targets within Iranian territory have led to a high-risk environment for civil aviation. In response to these strikes, Iran has announced retaliatory measures," DGCA said and added that the current situation presents critical hazards to civil flight operations.