Israel-Iran war: AI cancels Sunday’s Delhi to Frankfurt & Zurich flights due to airspace restrictions

NEW DELHI: Enroute airspace restrictions due to the Israel-Iran war forced Air India to cancel its Delhi-Frankfurt (AI 2029) and Delhi-Zurich (AI 151) flights on Sunday. This happened “due to extended flight times caused by airspace closures in the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region. These closures would have exceeded the mandatory flight duty time limitations for the pilots. Consequently, AI2030 (Frankfurt-Delhi) and AI152 (Zurich-Delhi) also stand cancelled,” AI said in a statement.
“Air India deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond the airline’s control. Our ground teams are committed to providing comprehensive assistance to affected passengers, including alternative flight options and full refunds, as per their preferences. At Air India, the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority,” it added.
Air India and Air India Express together operate more than 1,100 flights a day, flying over 1.5 lakh passengers. AI has undertaken enhanced pre-flight safety checks and temporary reduction (15%) of services “to uphold its commitment to safe operations. This will improve stability and will minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers.”
“However, despite all efforts, due to extraneous factors such as airspace closures in the Middle East, nighttime curfew at several airports in Europe and East Asia, air traffic congestion, unforeseen operational issues, certain flights get delayed or cancelled. We notify passengers ahead of time to reduce inconvenience in case of planned delays or cancellations, but sometimes, certain challenges lead to last-minute disruptions,” AI added.