Arnima
NEW DELHI: The Indian passenger airline companies have been advised not to fly over the airspace of Iran, Iraq and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman following Iran's missile attack on the bases that housed American troops in Iraq.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked Indian Airlines to avoid flying over these countries after the United States Federation Aviation Administration barred its carriers from doing so.
A senior official at the DGCA said, "We have held meetings with the concerned airlines to sensitize them for remaining vigilant and taking all precautions including avoiding those areas."
The step would lead to longer travel time for flights that overfly these regions. Air India has the maximum number of flights through the region between India and the west and other carriers like Indigo and SpiceJet also overfly these areas.
Recently some flights were En Route when they were told to avoid the airspace of Iran, Iraq and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Mumbai to London commercial flights had to divert after the FAA issued the airspace ban due to heightened military activities and increased political tension in the Middle East.
Civil Aviation Authorities have issued advisories and bans as a precautionary move to avoid passengers getting inadvertently targeted in conflict zones. The DGCA stated that we don't want any life to be in danger and thus have issued advisories for Airlines to avoid those routes even if it takes a longer time period to reach the desired destinations.
"It is for the benefit of passengers and our airline crew you and we have also sought details from the airlines about the flights which would be impacted by the extra flying time to be taken due to the diversion to avoid those areas," said DGCA officials.
