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Iran airspace closure impacts international flight operations; Air India, IndiGo among affected airlines

Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo were among several global airlines affected after Iran temporarily closed its airspace amid escalating tensions with the US, prompting rerouting, delays and cancellations on key international routes.

3 min readUpdated: Jan 15, 2026 12:15 PM IST

Iran’s brief airspace shutdown forced Air India and IndiGo to reroute or cancel several international flights, particularly to the US, Europe and Central Asia. (File Photo)

Several international airlines including Indian carriers IndiGo and Air India were impacted early Thursday after Iran announced a sudden temporary closure of its airspace amid the escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. With large-scale anti-government protests in Iran and the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown that has left scores dead, US President Donald Trump has been threatening US intervention. Given the circumstances, there have been concerns that the US could carry out military strikes in Iran.

While the Iranian airspace closure, which lasted a few hours, expired Thursday morning, most international carriers still appeared to avoid entering the country’s airspace, as per flight tracking data. Some domestic air traffic, however, has resumed in Iran. Airlines usually try to avoid overflying active conflict zones and high-risk regions in the interest of aviation safety.

For Indian airlines, flights to the US, Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus region are expected to be impacted as these routinely overfly use the Iranian airspace. No Indian airlines operates flight to and from Iran. India’s major international carriers Air India and IndiGo said early Thursday that some of their flights were impacted by the evolving situation in Iran.

Pakistan’s ban on Indian aircraft from entering its airspace has been in place for months, and if Iranian airspace is disrupted frequently or deemed unsafe, problems for Air India and IndiGo flight operations to certain geographies could compound further.

“Due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, Air India flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays. Some Air India flights where currently rerouting is not possible are being cancelled,” Air India said in a passenger advisory. The airline was forced to cancel a few of its flights to and from the US.

“Due to the sudden airspace closure by Iran, some of our international flights are impacted. Our teams are working diligently to assess the situation and support affected customers by offering the best possible alternatives,” IndiGo said.

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IndiGo’s Tbilisi-Delhi flight 6E1804 was the last non-Iran-registered passenger plane in Iranian airspace before the airspace was closed temporarily, according to Flightradar24. IndiGo’s Baku-Delhi flight 6E1804 had to return to Baku due to the Iranian airspace closure.

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In view of the continuing closure of Pakistani airspace for Indian airlines, IndiGo’s flights to Central Asia and the Caucasus were forced to take longer circuitous paths via Iran. Further closure of the Iranian airspace could force the airline to re-evaulate these flight operations as they would require even longer flying times and potential refueling stops in other countries.

Sukalp Sharma

Sukalp Sharma is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 16 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More