Bhubaneswar, Mar 2: The escalating US-Iran conflict has led to widespread disruptions in global air travel, with numerous flight cancellations and diversions across West Asia and the Gulf region. The ongoing tensions have triggered airspace closures, severely impacting flight schedules worldwide.
Bhubaneswar airport director, Prasanna Pradhan, confirmed that the Bhubaneswar-Dubai flight scheduled for today was cancelled due to the current war situation. "The decision regarding Wednesday's flight will depend on the developments on Tuesday," Pradhan added, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding air travel in the region.
For the third consecutive day, airlines globally have been forced to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights, as major transit hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi remained shut for extended periods. As a result, many carriers have suspended services to cities like Tel Aviv, Beirut, Tehran, Riyadh, and other destinations in the conflict zone.
Indian airlines have been particularly affected, with significant cancellations reported outside the West Asia region. At New Delhi airport alone, a staggering 410 flights were cancelled on February 28, followed by 350 on March 1, with at least 300 more expected to be impacted on Monday. Among non-West Asian carriers, IndiGo recorded the highest number of cancellations.
In response to the crisis, Air India has extended its suspension of flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 11.59 pm on March 2. With Iranian and Iraqi airspace closed, the airline has rerouted flights via Oman, southern Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, resulting in added travel time of 30-40 minutes for Europe-bound journeys, as well as increased operating costs.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has activated a Passenger Assistance Control Room to help stranded passengers. Meanwhile, global carriers, including Air France, KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Japan Airlines, have also announced flight suspensions or reroutings due to the volatile situation.
The conflict has further intensified as Israeli strikes on Tehran targeted command centers and air defences, provoking retaliatory missile attacks on Israeli territory and US bases in the Gulf. This has heightened fears of prolonged disruptions to global air travel, with the situation remaining highly fluid and unpredictable.
