Air India Halts Flights to Middle East, North America & Europe After Iranian Strike on US Base in Qatar
- Air India suspends all Gulf, North America, and Europe flights amid Iranian missile strike on US base in Qatar.
- Flights rerouted or returned to origin; passengers advised of disruptions due to airspace closures.
- Qatar condemns Iran’s attack on Al-Udeid Air Base as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty.
Following increasing tensions in the Middle East, Air India suspended all its flights over the Gulf region indefinitely. The decision comes after Iran launched a missile attack on the US Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar's Doha city.
As a precautionary step, Air India has also suspended all flights to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe, since these long-haul flights usually go via Middle Eastern airspace that has now become unsafe.
"In view of the changing security environment in the Middle East, Air India suspended services to the region as also to the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect and up to further notice," the airline stated.
Flights that are traveling to India from North America are being diverted back to the point of departure or diverted around closed airspace. "We genuinely appeal to passengers for their co-operation in this disruption, which is caused by factors outside the control of the airline. Our teams are thoroughly coordinating with external security consultants and keeping a close watch on the situation. Passengers' and crew members' safety is our number one priority," the Air India spokesperson said.
Concurrently, Air India Express also made some adjustments to its flight schedule. One of the Kochi–Doha flights diverted to Muscat, and an otherwise scheduled Kannur flight was forced back. "No other Qatar flights are in service right now," the airline confirmed.
Air India Express has 25 weekly direct flights to Doha from destinations such as Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchirappalli. It also flies from Doha to eight Indian cities one-stop: Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune.
The suspension follows Iran's Monday night televised confirmation of a missile attack on US troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base. State TV celebrated the attack as a "mighty and successful response" by the Iranian armed forces to perceived American aggression, in martial music and patriotic imagery.
The launch of the missile led to Qatar temporarily closing its airspace. In return, Qatar's foreign ministry vehemently condemned the attack by terming it as both a violation of the country's sovereignty and international law.
"We are strongly condemning the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' strike against Al-Udeid Air Base. It is a gross violation of Qatar's sovereignty, airspace, and international norms," said Majed Al-Ansari, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson.
