In the early hours of 28 January Air India issued an urgent operational notice instructing crews to avoid Iranian airspace "until further review". The flag-carrier has rerouted Europe- and North America-bound services via Iraqi corridors after Tehran temporarily closed its skies during nationwide unrest. The decision was taken barely 48 hours after IndiGo extended the cancellation of its Central-Asian routes until 11 February, citing the same security situation.
Air India officials say the new routings add 15-45 minutes to block times and will require additional fuel and contingency crew rostering, but emphasise that safety overrides cost. Flights that cannot be economically rerouted—such as Delhi-Tehran and Mumbai-Mashhad—remain suspended. Passengers booked through 10 February are being offered free rescheduling or refunds.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all Indian airlines to file daily movement reports detailing new tracks, fuel uplifts and crew-duty impacts. Insurance providers have also been notified, as war-risk premiums can rise suddenly when conflict advisories are issued for the Persian Gulf flight-information regions.
![Air India diverts all West-bound flights away from Iran amid protests]()
Travellers suddenly finding themselves routed through unfamiliar hubs may also encounter unexpected visa or transit-visa requirements. VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can quickly determine whether a detour via cities like Istanbul, Kuwait or Baghdad demands extra documentation and can process that paperwork online for both individual and corporate clients, helping minimise disruption while airlines adjust their schedules.
For corporate travel managers the immediate task is to update trip-approval workflows: expect longer flight times, potential missed connections in Europe and higher fares as capacity tightens. Companies with heavy traffic on India-US and India-UK sectors should alert travellers to possible last-minute schedule changes and build buffer time around onward meetings.
While geopolitical flashpoints have triggered similar diversions in the past—from Ukraine in 2024 to Sudan in 2025—this episode reinforces the value of robust traveller-tracking tools and contingency clauses in travel supplier contracts.
Air India officials say the new routings add 15-45 minutes to block times and will require additional fuel and contingency crew rostering, but emphasise that safety overrides cost. Flights that cannot be economically rerouted—such as Delhi-Tehran and Mumbai-Mashhad—remain suspended. Passengers booked through 10 February are being offered free rescheduling or refunds.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all Indian airlines to file daily movement reports detailing new tracks, fuel uplifts and crew-duty impacts. Insurance providers have also been notified, as war-risk premiums can rise suddenly when conflict advisories are issued for the Persian Gulf flight-information regions.
Travellers suddenly finding themselves routed through unfamiliar hubs may also encounter unexpected visa or transit-visa requirements. VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can quickly determine whether a detour via cities like Istanbul, Kuwait or Baghdad demands extra documentation and can process that paperwork online for both individual and corporate clients, helping minimise disruption while airlines adjust their schedules.
For corporate travel managers the immediate task is to update trip-approval workflows: expect longer flight times, potential missed connections in Europe and higher fares as capacity tightens. Companies with heavy traffic on India-US and India-UK sectors should alert travellers to possible last-minute schedule changes and build buffer time around onward meetings.
While geopolitical flashpoints have triggered similar diversions in the past—from Ukraine in 2024 to Sudan in 2025—this episode reinforces the value of robust traveller-tracking tools and contingency clauses in travel supplier contracts.
