New Delhi: Air India is restarting its services to the Middle East and Europe from Tuesday after a temporary suspension due to tensions in the region. The airline had cancelled flights on Monday evening following Iran’s missile attack on the US Al Udeid air base in Qatar, which led countries like Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait to close their airspace.
In a statement released Tuesday, 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, with most operations to and from the Middle East resuming from 25 June. 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.”
Delays and route changes
The airline also cautioned that while it is resuming flights, some services may still be affected. It will continue to avoid flying over regions considered unsafe to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
“Some flights may experience delays or cancellations due to consequential impacts and extended re-routings or 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. We will keep passengers informed of any updates and sincerely appreciate their understanding. The safety and security of our passengers, staff, and aircraft remain our top priority,” the spokesperson added.
Ceasefire under strain
Meanwhile, global tensions continued to simmer. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, and both countries initially said they would stop military actions. However, reports of Iran firing new missiles at Israel emerged soon after — claims that were denied by Tehran. The Israeli defence minister responded by warning that their forces would act strongly if provoked.
Later in the day, President Trump accused both Iran and Israel of violating the ceasefire terms. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued its own statement, saying that Israeli forces were “compelled” to stop the attacks and that Iran’s forces were “on high alert” to deal with any further aggression.
