UAE, Qatar, Kuwait & more: DGCA asks airlines to avoid 9 airspaces amid escalating Middle East tensions

NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator body the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday directed airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the war-engulfed Gulf region and put in place strong contingency plans, citing heightened risks following the ongoing conflict in the region.In an advisory, the DGCA asked carriers to steer clear of the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.Indian airlines may continue operating over Oman and Saudi Arabia, subject to conditions. The regulator said flights must not operate below FL 320, or 32,000 feet, in specified parts of these airspaces.About the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to "refrain from operating within the affected airspace...at all flight levels and altitudes". Any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment, it added."Operations to airports in the affected region, where other international carriers are currently operating, must involve robust contingency planning to cover all eventualities, as part of the safety risk assessments by the operators," the DGCA said, according to news agency PTI.The advisory takes immediate effect and will remain valid until March 28 unless reviewed or superseded."Operators are advised to provide their flight crew with information regarding latest NOTAMs, airspace restrictions affecting flight that are already airborne," it said.NOTAMs, or Notice to Airmen, provides real-time updates on airspace and airport conditions."Recent military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against targets within Iranian territory have led to a high-risk environment for civil aviation. In response to these strikes, Iran has announced retaliatory measures," the DGCA said, warning that the situation poses critical hazards to civil flight operations.