Delhi-bound IndiGo flight escapes Iran minutes before airspace closed
What's the story
An IndiGo flight from Tbilisi, Georgia, to Delhi narrowly escaped the sudden closure of Iranian airspace on Thursday. The aircraft, which is believed to be the last non-Iranian commercial plane in the air before the shutdown, passed over Iran at around 2:35am and landed in Delhi at 7:03am. The abrupt closure was announced by Tehran's aviation authorities on Wednesday amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran.
Travel impact
Flight disruptions and rerouting due to Iranian airspace closure
The sudden closure of Iranian airspace had caused major disruptions for airlines. IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet have all warned passengers of potential flight disruptions. IndiGo canceled its Mumbai-Tbilisi and Tbilisi-Mumbai flights for Friday due to the restricted routing. The airline is also offering rebooking options or refunds to affected customers.
Airline measures
Air India and SpiceJet's response to Iranian airspace closure
Air India said that flights operating over the region are being rerouted wherever possible, which could lead to delays. However, services that cannot be rerouted have been canceled. SpiceJet has also cautioned passengers about possible flight disruptions and advised them to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Route impact
Iran reopens airspace
According to notices posted by the US Federal Aviation Administration, most flights were restricted from Iranian airspace between 1:45am and 4:00am local time (22:15 to 00:30 GMT) on Thursday, and again from 4:44am to 7:00am (01:14 to 03:30 GMT). Iran has since reopened its airspace. Per tracking firm Flightradar24, the notification was withdrawn shortly before 10:00pm ET, or 0300 GMT, and five flights from Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways, and AVA Airlines were among the first to begin operations.