The advisory, effective immediately and valid till March 28, comes as US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory measures create what the regulator calls a “high-risk environment” for civil aviation
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India’s aviation regulator has ordered airlines to stay out of nine West Asian airspaces with immediate effect, citing the rapidly deteriorating security environment following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory response.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also barred flights from operating below 32,000 feet over designated parts of Saudi Arabia and Oman.
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The advisory, which remains valid until March 28 unless reviewed earlier, is the most direct acknowledgement yet by Indian aviation authorities that the Iran conflict poses a concrete risk to commercial flight operations. It covers some of the busiest air corridors in the world — routes that Indian carriers use extensively for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
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Airlines have been directed to avoid the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates entirely, at all flight levels and altitudes. Flights over Oman and Saudi Arabia may continue under specific conditions, but carriers must not operate below FL320 – or 32,000 feet – in designated sections of those airspaces.
The DGCA has asked all flight operations firms to conduct thorough safety risk assessments and put robust contingency plans in place to handle potential disruptions, including rerouting and diversions. “Operations to airports in the region, where international carriers continue to fly, must be backed by comprehensive contingency planning to address all possible scenarios,” the regulator said.
Flight crew must also be kept updated with the latest NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen), which carry real-time information on airspace restrictions and operational conditions.
The DGCA said recent US and Israeli military strikes on targets in Iran had created a high-risk environment for civil aviation, and that Iran’s retaliatory measures had added to the threat.
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