Air India reroutes North America and Europe flights amid Middle East crisis

Air India has announced major operational changes as the Middle East crisis disrupts international aviation. The airline will operate most flights to North America and Europe using alternative routes over available airspaces and has cancelled six European flights scheduled for March 2. The cancelled flights include Amritsar-Birmingham (AI117), Birmingham-Delhi (AI114), Delhi-Zurich (AI151 and AI152), and Delhi-Copenhagen (AI157 and AI158).

In addition, Air India has extended the suspension of all flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 11:59 pm IST on March 2. These measures follow the closure of Iranian and Iraqi airspaces, which have forced carriers to take longer detours to maintain safety and operational feasibility.

For flights to Europe, the revised routes will pass over Oman , the southern part of Saudi Arabia , and Egypt , adding 30 to 40 minutes to the journey. Flights to the United States, including New York (JFK) and Newark Liberty International , will now include technical stops at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport , increasing travel time and operational costs.

The airline has also identified alternative diversion airports for contingencies along these routes. These include Muscat International Airport (Oman), King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), Cairo International Airport (Egypt), and European options such as Athens International Airport, Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (Rome), Shannon Airport (Ireland), and Heathrow (London). These hubs are equipped to handle wide-body aircraft, with full refuelling and ground support.

According to officials, all operational decisions were made after carefully assessing safety, security, airspace availability, and operational feasibility. The disruptions are part of a wider impact on international flights, with the civil aviation ministry reporting 350 cancellations by Indian carriers on Sunday alone.

Passengers are urged to check flight status before traveling, as the situation continues to evolve and may affect schedules further.