Five flights connecting Calcutta with West Asia were cancelled between Saturday evening and Sunday morning after at least eight countries in the region closed their airspace following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliation by Tehran.

Incoming flights from these destinations were also cancelled, causing widespread disruption. Cancellations were reported from major Indian cities, leaving thousands stranded. Flights to the US and Europe were diverted as Dubai and Doha — two key transit hubs — were off-limits.

Late on Saturday, Air India announced the cancellation of several flights to Europe and the US. Flights connecting London, New York, Chicago, Frankfurt and Paris with Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian airports were among those cancelled.

Airline representatives said there would be more cancellations and delays, as carriers were likely to avoid the affected airspaces.

In Calcutta, an Emirates flight to Dubai, a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, and Air Arabia and Etihad flights to Abu Dhabi were cancelled, an airport official said. An Emirates flight scheduled to depart Calcutta on Sunday morning was also cancelled.

A Qatar Airways cargo flight from Hong Kong to Doha was diverted to Calcutta at 6pm on Saturday. “All flight cancellations were due to the closure of large parts of West Asian airspace. We are awaiting further announcements on reopening of the airspace,” said the official.

Emirates announced a suspension of all flights to and from Dubai until early Sunday morning. Indian carriers, including Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air, suspended flights to all destinations in the region. Akasa Air halted services to and from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait and Riyadh until March 2. SpiceJet said that some flights may be affected due to airspace restrictions.

Air India said it had cancelled all regional flights until 11.59pm on March 1. An Air India flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv on Saturday returned mid-route due to Israeli airspace closure. On Saturday afternoon, IndiGo posted on X that “all flights to and from Middle East are cancelled till 0000hrs”.

Passenger plight

Many travellers were left in limbo.

A woman in her 50s, visiting her ailing brother in Calcutta, was scheduled to return to Kuwait, where she has lived for nearly two decades, via a connecting flight from Dubai. She was supposed to be on a Calcutta-Dubai Emirates flight around 8.30pm on Saturday.

“Many Indians living in Kuwait had flown out for the long weekend. Wednesday and Thursday were public holidays on account of National Day and Liberation Day. Now, they are stranded in different parts of India and abroad,” she said from Tollygunge.

Her friend, flying from Delhi to Muscat en route to Kuwait, was rerouted to
Kochi. Emirates flights arriving in Calcutta around 7.40am on Sunday and departing for Dubai at 9.15am were
also cancelled.

Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE shut their airspaces. Syria closed part of its southern airspace near Israel for 12 hours. Flights to Saudi Arabia and Oman were also disrupted.

Travel agents received nonstop phone calls. “Several passengers who are stuck have been calling us. We were busy till late in the evening trying to reschedule tickets,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), eastern region.

Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India (eastern region), said: “Many passengers are stranded and confused. But we are unable to reach the affected airlines; calls to their call centres are going unanswered. This has added to the plight of passengers.”

Ministry advisory

On Saturday evening, the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) issued a safety advisory listing the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman as “high-risk zones”, asking carriers to avoid operations. The advisory is valid until March 1.

The Union ministry of civil aviation held a virtual meeting with senior officials, the airports authority of India (AAI), the DGCA, airlines and major airports. “The review focused on ensuring passenger safety, operational continuity and real-time coordination in light of multiple airspace restrictions...,” a
press statement said.

The ministry advised airlines to continuously monitor advisories, NOTAMs and route restrictions.

Kerala impact

Kerala was particularly affected, prompting the state government to set up an emergency help desk for Malayalis stranded in the Gulf. Flights from all four Kerala airports were cancelled, and a Kochi-Oman flight was called back.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs (NORKA) to activate an emergency helpdesk, and airports issued advisories asking passengers to check their flight status to avoid chaos at the airports.

Additional reporting by
Cynthia Chandran and
Amiya Kumar Kushwaha