Air India and IndiGo cancel Middle East and Europe flights amid regional airspace closures

Air India and IndiGo have canceled and suspended multiple services after regional airspace closures affected key corridors.
Air India scrapped 28 flight segments from March 1, and paused flights to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar through March 2.
IndiGo canceled routes across West Asia and parts of Europe. By March 1, Indian carriers had canceled over 350 flights. Rerouting via northern paths is adding up to three hours, and some long-haul services require technical stops. Rebooking and refunds are being offered to affected passengers.

Regional airspace closures have triggered widespread flight cancellations and suspensions by Indian carriers.
Air India canceled 28 major flight segments scheduled from March 1, 2026, including flagship connections from Delhi and Mumbai to London, New York, Chicago, and Frankfurt.
The airline also suspended all services to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 23:59 IST on March 2. Affected customers are being notified and offered rebooking or refunds.

IndiGo canceled numerous services across West Asia and Europe. Impacted routes include Mumbai–London Heathrow; Delhi–Ras Al Khaimah–Istanbul; and flights to Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Kuwait, Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Athens.

IndiGo is providing flexible rebooking and full refunds, with passengers advised to check official channels for live updates.

By March 1, Indian airlines had canceled over 350 flights as airspace closures over Tehran, Baghdad, Kuwait, Israel, and Iraq forced rerouting, delays, and technical diversions.
India’s aviation regulator issued an advisory on February 28 asking carriers to avoid the airspaces of 11 countries, including Iran, Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Oman, at least through March 2.

These restrictions have closed primary corridors through the Persian Gulf and key FIRs such as Baghdad, Doha, and Tehran.
Long-haul services from India to Europe and North America are particularly affected, with some routes no longer operable non-stop due to fuel range constraints on alternative paths.
Rerouting via regions such as Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan is adding approximately 90 minutes to three hours to flight times, increasing fuel use and complicating crew scheduling.

Specific Air India flights listed among the cancellations include:
Delhi–London Heathrow (AI161, AI162, AI111, AI112),
Mumbai–London (AI129, AI128),
Amritsar–London Gatwick (AI169, AI170), and
Delhi–New York JFK (AI101, AI102).

In isolated reports, some flights not traversing the impacted corridors continued operating, while others adopted technical stops such as Rome on New York-bound services.

Passengers on affected flights are being offered rebooking options and refunds.
Travelers should monitor their airline’s official communications for the latest status and instructions.