The flight disruptions followed a major escalation on Monday after Iran reportedly launched multiple missiles targeting US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest US military installation in the region
The airline said services to and from the East Coast of the US and Canada will resume at the "earliest opportunity". Representational pic
Air India announced on Tuesday that it will progressively resume flights to the region starting today, as airspaces gradually reopened in certain parts of the Middle East amid tensions in West Asia. The airline also confirmed that flight operations to and from Europe will resume on Tuesday.
In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said, "As airspaces gradually reopen in certain parts of the Middle East, Air India will progressively resume flights to the region starting today [Tuesday], with most operations to and from the Middle East resuming from June 25 [Wednesday]. Flights to and from Europe, previously cancelled, are also being progressively reinstated from today, while services to and from the East Coast of the US and Canada will resume at the earliest opportunity. Some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings/flight times, but we are committed to minimising disruptions and restoring our schedule integrity. Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time."
The flight disruptions followed a major escalation on Monday after Iran reportedly launched multiple missiles targeting US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest US military installation in the region, according to a CNN report.
Moreover the Air India Express also announced that it is gradually resuming flights to the Middle East, effective Tuesday, as the region's airspaces reopen. The airline stated: "Air India Express is progressively resuming its operations to the Middle East from today, 24th June, as airspaces in the region reopen. Our first flight to the region today will be on the Delhi–Muscat route, followed by services on the Mumbai–Muscat, Kozhikode–Muscat, Kozhikode–Riyadh, and Jaipur–Jeddah routes."
Furthermore, flights connecting Air India Express to major cities in the UAE – such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, and Ras Al Khaimah – along with other destinations in the Middle East, are scheduled to resume from Wednesday.
The attacks by Iran, are believed to be a retaliatory move following US airstrikes on three of its nuclear facilities—Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow—in the early hours of Sunday, ANI reported.
Two officials familiar with the situation confirmed to CNN that the US is tracking multiple missiles launched from Iran. A White House official stated that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine are currently in the Situation Room, closely monitoring the unfolding events.
Earlier, Iran's state TV reported that Iran had begun an operation against a US base in Qatar. Samaa TV, citing Iranian state TV, dubbed this operation against US bases in the region as 'Operation Basharat al-Fath'. According to CNN, US personnel at the embassies in Qatar and Bahrain are in "duck and cover" as Iran launches retaliatory missiles towards Qatar and Iraq.
The Qatari foreign ministry also announced on X that its government had temporarily shut down its airspace amidst the heightened tensions. This move followed Iran's declaration of retaliation against the United States, which has significantly heightened security concerns across the Gulf region. The US Embassy in Doha has also issued alerts to its citizens, advising them to remain in secure shelters until further notice.
(With inputs from ANI)
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