AI, Vistara not to overfly Iran; flights to West may take 30 minutes longer
Carriers opting for routes via Afghanistan and Tajikistan
Westbound flights of Air India and Vistara are avoiding the Iranian airspace as tensions mount in the region.
This could result in extra 30 minutes of flight time and increase the fuel burn for the airlines.
On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a travel advisory urging Indians to avoid travelling to Iran and Israel. Air India operated its flight to Tel Aviv on Saturday and is yet to announce any cancellations. No Indian carrier flies to Iran.
Air India and Vistara flights from Mumbai to Europe either overfly Iran or go via Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
On Saturday, Vistara’s MumbaiEurope flights took the northern route via Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Air India’s flights to London from Ahmedabad and Kochi, too, skipped the Iran route on Saturday. “Due to the current situation affecting parts of the Middle East, we are making changes to flightpaths of some of our flights. Contingency routes, which are kept available to ensure operational continuity during such eventualities, are being used instead. This may result in longer flight times on certain routes and associated delays. The situation is being monitored closely and further changes will be made if required,” Vistara said in a statement.
Air India did not respond to an email query.
ROUTE PLANNING
Airlines select flight routes taking into account wind conditions, temperature, geopolitical factors and navigation charges collected by countries. Flight time also depends on these factors.
Route planning is automated and the flightpath chosen by an airline can vary daily depending on these factors. The shortest geographical route need not be the most economical if wind and weather conditions are not favourable, an airline source said.