Flight operations at three major Indian airports — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Kempegowda International Airport — were hit on Wednesday after airspace restrictions linked to tensions in the Middle East forced airlines to cancel around 180 services.
The highest number of cancellations was reported in Mumbai, where 93 flights were called off. These included 48 outbound and 45 inbound services. In Delhi, 52 flights were cancelled, comprising 25 departures and 27 arrivals. Bengaluru recorded 34 cancellations, of which 18 were incoming flights.
The disruption follows ongoing airspace limitations in parts of the Middle East due to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Since February 28, several international routes have been affected, leading to schedule changes and cancellations by multiple carriers.
Despite the disruption, Mumbai airport managed eight repatriation flights on Wednesday, operated by both Indian and foreign airlines. SpiceJet operated two special flights from Fujairah to Mumbai, while Air India operated one service from Dubai.
Among international carriers, Emirates operated three flights from Dubai to Mumbai. Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian operated one repatriation flight each from Amman and Dammam respectively to Mumbai.
Over 1,609 flights cancelled so far
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, a total of 1,221 flights operated by Indian carriers and 388 flights by foreign airlines had been cancelled until March 3 due to the prevailing situation.
Data available on the Ministry’s website showed that on March 3, Indian airports handled 356 outbound international flights, while 338 international services arrived across the country.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as airlines adjust operations in response to the changing airspace conditions.
