On Friday, Israel said it attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile factories, and military leaders. After these strikes, airlines stopped flying over Israel, Iran, and Iraq to keep passengers and crews safe. Flights were canceled or redirected.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense was ready for any possible attacks from Iran. The Israeli airline El Al stopped all flights to and from Israel.
Iran also closed its airspace, according to state media.
Because of the situation, Air India changed the routes of more than 15 flights to keep passengers safe. Some flights were diverted to other cities like Vienna, Sharjah, and Jeddah. Others returned to their starting points.
Air India Flight Diversions and Returns:
- AI130 (London Heathrow to Mumbai) – Diverted to Vienna
- AI102 (New York to Delhi) – Diverted to Sharjah
- AI116 (New York to Mumbai) – Diverted to Jeddah
- AI2018 (London Heathrow to Delhi) – Diverted to Mumbai
- AI129 (Mumbai to London Heathrow) – Returning to Mumbai
- AI119 (Mumbai to New York) – Returning to Mumbai
- AI103 (Delhi to Washington) – Returning to Delhi
- AI106 (Newark to Delhi) – Diverting to Vienna
- AI188 (Vancouver to Delhi) – Diverting to Jeddah
- AI101 (Delhi to New York) – Diverting to Frankfurt/Milan
- AI126 (Chicago to Delhi) – Diverting to Jeddah
- AI132 (London Heathrow to Bengaluru) – Diverted to Sharjah
- AI2016 (London Heathrow to Delhi) – Diverted to Vienna
- AI104 (Washington to Delhi) – Diverted to Vienna
- AI190 (Toronto to Delhi) – Diverted to Frankfurt
- AI189 (Delhi to Toronto) – Returning to Delhi
Several other flights were either diverted or returned to their origin for safety reasons.
Israel said this operation will continue for some time to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, India has asked its citizens in both Iran and Israel to stay alert and careful during this tense time.
