16 Air India flights diverted after Israel strikes Iran
What's the story
At least 16 Air India flights have been diverted after Iran closed its airspace until further notice following Israel's airstrikes on several locations across the country, including Tehran.
The affected services include flights from New York to Delhi and from Delhi and Mumbai to London and New York, among others.
One of Air India's flights, en route to London, was also forced to return to Mumbai after three hours in the air, according to news agency PTI citing Flightradar24 data.
Twitter Post
Check list here
Due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace and in view of the safety of our passengers, the following Air India flights are either being diverted or returning to their origin... Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling is also being… pic.twitter.com/d8O09e4F0E
— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2025
Impact on aviation
Iraq closes airspace
Other airlines have also started diverting and canceling flights over Israel, Iran, and Iraq.
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport has been closed until further notice, and Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines has suspended flights to and from Israel.
Iraqi state media reported that Iraq has also closed its airspace.
Eastern Iraq, near the border with Iran, is home to one of the world's busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf at any moment.
Flight rerouting
Flights being diverted
Flight tracking data showed that flights were steadily being diverted over Central Asia or Saudi Arabia.
Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, advised operators to exercise caution in the region.
Several flights scheduled to land in Dubai were diverted early on Friday. An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was redirected to Istanbul, while a flydubai flight from Belgrade was rerouted to Yerevan, Armenia.
Flydubai's action
Flydubai among airlines to suspend flights
Budget carrier flydubai announced it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran, and Israel.
Several other flights were also canceled, rerouted, or returned to their departure airports.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict since October 2023 has resulted in commercial aviation sharing skies with sudden drone and missile barrages across major flight paths.
Since 2001, six commercial aircraft have been unintentionally shot down and three have narrowly missed, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions.