IndiGo, Air India cancel, reroute flights crossing Middle East after Iran’s attack on US’s Qatar air base

Flights to-and-fro Delhi too faced disruptions through Monday night and early Tuesday, with about 48 of them being cancelled at the Delhi Airport.

How have the flight ops been impacted in India?

Operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi faced disruptions through the night and early morning, amid the overnight military action in the region.

As per sources, 48 flights, including 28 arrivals and 20 departures, were cancelled at Delhi Airport, with Air India and IndiGo accounting for majority of these.

In an advisory, Delhi Airport, stated that “international flight operations at Delhi Airport may experience disruptions” due to airspace restrictions in some Middle Eastern countries. The advisory added that on-ground teams were working with all stakeholders to minimise inconvenience.

What have different airlines announced?

Air India

On Monday, Air India ceased all operations to the region, as well as to-and-fro the East Coast of North America and Europe, amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The airports in the Gulf region have emerged as crucial stopover points for longhaul flights between Europe and Asia or Australia, as per the BBC News.

Over a post on X, underlining the safety and security of its passengers and staff, Air India wrote on Monday night, “Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice.”

#TravelAdvisory

“Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice. Our India-bound flights from North America are…

— Air India (@airindia) June 23, 2025

Moreover, Air India’s India-bound flights from North America and elsewhere were diverted to their origin countries, away from the closed airspaces. “Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins and others are being diverted back to India or re-routed away from the closed airspaces,” the airline posted on X.

“We request the understanding of all passengers who may be affected by this disruption that’s beyond an airline’s control. Air India is in continuous consultation with its external security advisors and is vigilantly monitoring the evolving situation. We will keep our passengers informed of any updates. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our number one priority,” the Air India Spokesperson added.

IndiGo

Even as the ceasefire between Iran and Israel began early Tuesday, IndiGo announced the reopening of its airports after briefly halting operations amid US’ entry into the war between the two nations.

“As airports across the Middle East gradually reopen, we are prudently and progressively resuming operations on these routes. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are fully considering the safest available flight paths to ensure secure and seamless travel. Please stay updated via our mobile app or website. Thank you for your continued understanding and trust,” IndiGo posted on X early Tuesday.

Travel Advisory

As airports across the Middle East gradually reopen, we are prudently and progressively resuming operations on these routes.

We continue to monitor the situation closely and are fully considering the safest available flight paths to ensure secure and seamless…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) June 24, 2025

Late Monday night, IndiGo Airlines announced over a post on X that flight arrivals and departures from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Ras AI-Khaimah and Tbilisi were impacted amid the evolving situation in Middle East.

“In view of the evolving situation in the Middle East, our flight operations to and from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Madinah, Fujairah, Jeddah, Muscat, Sharjah, Riyadh, Ras AI-Khaimah and Tbilisi have been suspended at least until 1000hrs today,” the airline shared late Monday night.

Travel Advisory

In view of the evolving situation in the Middle East, our flight operations to and from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Madinah, Fujairah, Jeddah, Muscat, Sharjah, Riyadh, Ras AI-Khaimah and Tbilisi have been suspended at least until 1000hrs…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) June 23, 2025

“We understand the impact this may have on your travel plans, and sincerely regret the inconvenience. Please be assured that this decision has been taken as a proactive safety measure,” the airline stated.

Air India Express

Air India Express suspended its flights to the Middle East region post-Iran’s attack in Qatar last night. Taking over X. the airlines wrote: “In view of the evolving situation and the closure of certain airspaces in the Middle East, we have temporarily suspended flights to the region.”

#ImportantUpdate

Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, some of our flights may be impacted. Please visit https://t.co/rMBTOFB9H1 to check your flight status and manage your booking, or #ChatWithTia on WhatsApp at +91 65600 12345 for support. pic.twitter.com/gVf4NjNNqz

— Air India Express (@AirIndiaX) June 23, 2025

It also urged its passengers to confirm their flight status via their official website. “Impacted guests are being notified of changes directly on the contact details registered with us. We request all guests to confirm their flight status and contact details on http://airindiaexpress.com for the latest updates.”

Global announcements

The world’s busiest international airport, Dubai Airports said its operations had resumed after a brief suspension, though it warned of delays or cancellations on X. “Dubai Airports has resumed full operations at its airports in the emirate following a temporary precautionary pause. The safety and wellbeing of all travellers and aviation staff remain the highest priority,” it wrote.

“While Dubai Airports is working with airlines to ensure flights operate according to schedule, some flights may experience delays or cancellations,” it added. Travellers were advised to stay informed by checking regularly with their airlines for further updates.

About a handful of flights to Dubai were diverted, according to aviation analytics company Cirium, Reuters reported.

Qatar too closed its airspace late Monday, after the US embassy in the Gulf country emailed American citizens in the country, advising them to shelter in place until further notice. While Kuwait Airways suspended its flight departures from the country, UAE’s Etihad Airways was rerouting flights on Monday and Tuesday, Reuters report added. IAG’s Spanish airline Iberia too scrapped their plans to resume flights to Doha on Tuesday following the latest airspace closures.

Flight tracking websites showed planes diverting to other airports following the closure of Qatari airspace. According to Flightradar24, there are 100 flights bound for Doha. Hamad International Airport is a major transit hub in the Middle East, BBC News reported.

After briefly closing their airspace on Monday, Bahrain and Kuwait both reopened them, Reuters reported quoting state news media.

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia’s scheduled services to Doha, which are operated by Qatar Airways, are expected to operate on Tuesday with delays following the reopening of Qatar airspace, the news agency reported quoting a spokesperson’s statement.

“With over 25,000 impacted passengers currently in Doha, the immediate priority is clearing the significant backlog of those passengers and flying them to their final destination,” the spokesperson stated.

Global suspensions in place

Finnair, the largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, which flies between Europe, Asia and North America via Helsinki, was the first to announce a prolonged suspension of flights to Doha, with cancellations until June 30, news agency Reuters reported.

Earlier on Monday, Air France cancelled its flights to Riyadh and said it would suspend flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon until Wednesday, the report added.

Meanwhile, leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines also planned to cancel flights to Dubai through Tuesday.

Even as US President Donald Trump announced early Tuesday that Israel and Iran have reached a ceasefire agreement, Iran’s state TV channel IRINN announced the ceasefire in hostilities and said that it has been “imposed” on Israel following the “successful” attack on the US base in Qatar by Tehran on Monday around 10pm IST.

Trump’s announcement followed explosions over Doha, Qatar, as Iran reportedly launched six missiles targeting US air bases, an Axios reporter said while citing an Israeli official. The escalation comes after US attacked key nuclear sites in Iran — Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow — in “a very successful attack” on Saturday night. All these three sites are crucial to Iran’s controversial nuclear programme that the US, Israel and many other countries see as a threat.