West Asia crisis hits ops at IGI, runway closure to add to woes

Time of India

13-06-2025

New Delhi: As the Israeli defence forces struck Iran, leading to the closure of the airspace over large part of West Asia, several flights bound for that region were cancelled, delayed or diverted.
This impacted flight operations between India and Europe. While it is still unclear when operations through West Asia will resume, a double whammy looms for Delhi, which will shut down one of its four runways at IGI International Airport for upgradation from Sunday, until Sept 15, impacting over 200 flights daily.
IGIA officials said that while there were no issues with domestic or international travel to other regions like Southeast Asia, and that flight operations for Ahmedabad—where the crash of a London-bound flight on Thursday killed 245 people—resumed, they were unclear when operations through West Asia would resume.
They added that flights were being delayed as they were being rerouted while many were being cancelled.
Officials said at least 17 international flights were cancelled and eight
Air India
flights were diverted. Of these, two were air return flights, two ground return, six arrivals were cancelled, seven departures were cancelled, and eight Air India flights were diverted. Air return flights are called off after they take off while the ground return are those that are boarded and scheduled to take off.
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According to website Flight Radar, over 350 flights were delayed at IGIA on Friday, with an average delay of 26 minutes. An advisory issued by the Delhi airport authority on X stated, "Due to evolving airspace conditions over Iran, Iraq and the neighbouring region, some flight schedules have been impacted. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding their flights.
We strongly urge all passengers to rely only on official sources for accurate and up-to-date information."
After giving out details about the affected flights, Air India said, "We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen disruption and are making every effort to minimise it, including providing accommodation for passengers. Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling are also being offered to guests who opt for it.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly passengers to their destinations.
"
An IndiGo advisory stated, "Due to airspace closure over Iran and nearby regions, some flight routes may be impacted, potentially causing longer travel times or cancellations. Please check your flight status on our website or app before heading to the airport."
Meanwhile, the upgradation of runway 28/10 from June 15 to Sept 15 will lead to the rescheduling of 86 flights and the cancellation of 114 daily. Earlier, the runway was closed in April and May, resulting in delays of hundreds of flights daily.
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