Indian flights lengthen as airlines avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace

India Jul 08, 2026

Flights between India and Europe, the UK or North America are taking longer these days.
Ongoing tensions in West Asia mean Indian airlines can't fly over Iranian and Iraqi airspace, so they're detouring through Central Asia or over Egypt and the Arabian Sea instead.

Passengers face higher fares, longer layovers

These new routes add 1.5 to 2 hours to flight times, making trips more tiring and schedules tougher to manage.
Airlines are burning more fuel, paying higher insurance premiums, and even cutting some flights.
For passengers, this means pricier tickets (up by 5% to 30%), longer layovers, and a bit more waiting around, at least until things settle down in the region.