Even as 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers were cancelled on Sunday amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, airlines are attempting to preserve critical westbound connectivity by dynamically rerouting services rather than suspending long-haul operations altogether.
Air India, the only Indian carrier operating to the US, said all its flights to North America will operate as per schedule starting Monday. The airline cancelled 50 international flights on Sunday and stated that its flights to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 2359 hrs IST on Monday. Track live updates on Iran-US conflict
“Additionally, select flights to Europe scheduled on 2 March 2026 have been cancelled, along with the scheduled return legs of AI117: Amritsar-Birmingham, AI151/AI152: Delhi-Zurich, AI157/AI158: Delhi-Copenhagen and AI114: Birmingham-Delhi,” the airline spokesperson said.
“All other flights to North America and Europe will operate per schedule using alternative routings over available airspaces in the Middle East, which is expected to add to the flying times. Additionally, flights to New York (JFK) and Newark (Liberty International) will operate with technical stops at Rome (Fiumicino Airport),” it stated.
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IndiGo announced cancellation of around 360 flights till March 3 and extended flexibility and waivers for affected passengers.
“In view of airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled on 01.03.2026…The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is in close coordination with airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders to proactively monitor the situation and facilitate necessary passenger support,” MoCA’s post read.
Airspace closures across Tehran, Kuwait, Israel and Baghdad Flight Information Regions have disrupted the northern corridor typically used for India-Europe overflights, forcing airlines to explore southern deviations or technical halts.
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“The shutdown of Baghdad Flight Information Region at 1310 IST on February 28 is particularly significant for Indian carriers, as it directly blocks the northern corridor typically used for India-Europe overflights. The present extension keeps the airspace closed until 2.30pm, IST on March 2. Doha Flight Information Region has been closed since February 28 evening, with validity currently up to 11.30pm March 1 (IST),” an official said.
“The weekly impact to Indian and international Airlines flying to and from India stands at an extremely conservative estimate of Rs. 875 Crores. At the moment, Pakistani, Iran and UAE Airspaces are shut down, this blocks nearly and all flight access to Europe, the U.S (Westward Flights) and Flights into the Persian Gulf. Chances of improvement in the airspace closures for at least one week are less,” Mark D Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting said.
A former airline official said, “Avoiding the Middle East would mean not only a tremendous increase in operational cost to Indian airlines but also lead to an increase in travel time by at least two hours.”
An industry insider said, “A contingency plan was under discussion for over 15 days due to which a decision on the alternative of flying to New York via Rome could be taken on Sunday. However, the situation is dynamic so airlines are forced to decide on operations on day out only. ”
The cascading effect has begun straining metro airports. Mumbai temporarily declined diversion traffic citing shortage of aircraft parking stands and issued a NOTAM till 8am on Monday declining diversions.
Until 6pm Sunday, in Delhi, at least 23 flights were cancelled and five diverted flights were accommodated, with 13 aircraft classified as AOG. Mumbai recorded 160 cancellations with four AOG aircraft. Bengaluru saw 71 cancellations, while Hyderabad reported 18 cancellations and stacking of around 550 bags. Chennai recorded 27 cancellations and Kolkata 10, as airlines continue to recalibrate schedules in what officials described as a fluid operational scenario.
“Mumbai recorded the highest cancellations at 160 flights. The airport has 142 parking bays, but no contact or remote stands were available. Four aircraft were AOG however there was no passenger congestion reported inside the terminal,” the official said.
“Ahmedabad and Mumbai had temporarily refused diversion traffic citing shortage of aircraft parking stands. Mumbai has again issued a NOTAM till 8am on Monday declining diversions through the morning of March 2 due to shortage of aircraft stands in Mumbai,” an official aware of the development said.
