NEW DELHI: In response to the growing tensions between Israel and Iran, Air India briefly halted flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday. According to an official, direct flights between Tel Aviv and Delhi would be discontinued for the time being.

Four weekly flights are operated by Air India between the nation’s capital and a city in Israel.

After a five-month break, the airline owned by the Tata Group started operating out of Tel Aviv again on March 3.

Following the attack on the Israeli city by Hamas on October 7, 2023, flights to and from Tel Aviv were suspended.

Since there is a chance that tensions in the region could rise, Air India and a few other Western airlines that fly to India have begun to steer clear of Iran. Iran is expected to attack Israel “sooner rather than later,” according to US President Joe Biden’s statement. Given that its embassy in Syria was just bombed, there are worries that Iran may react.

For example, Air India AI 161, which took off on Saturday at 4.30 am from Delhi, chose a different route to London rather than passing over Iran. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew to Europe via a northern route rather than the typical one that passes through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, and the Black Sea. The airline has access to this option because AI is still flying over Russia. The day before, Iran had been overflown by the same airplane.

The flight operated by Lufthansa to Mumbai on Friday traveled via the Mediterranean Sea, Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and Greece. Formerly, it traveled to Mumbai via the Black Sea, Iran, and Pakistan.

Since AI has the option to fly via Russian airspace, the different routes have not added a substantial amount of flying time. The schedule for the Delhi-London flight on Saturday is over nine hours, the same as previous flights.

Airlines are now prohibited from flying in more areas due to rising geopolitical tensions. Since the Taliban took control of the country, commercial airlines have avoided flying into Afghanistan; most Western airlines have avoided flying into Iran due to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine; and this trend has continued for some time. Situated on the vital west-east road is the conflict zone.

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