Manchester-bound IndiGo flight 6E 033, operated using a leased Boeing 787 aircraft, returned to Delhi on Monday. It cited “last-minute airspace restrictions” and noted that the changing situation in and around the Middle East could lead to some of its flights taking longer routes or being diverted.
According to PTI, citing sources, there were some restrictions when the plane approached Eritrean airspace.
What did IndiGo say?
“Our flight 6E 033 operating from Delhi to Manchester had to return to its origin due to last-minute airspace restrictions due to the ongoing situation in West Asia. We are working with the relevant authorities to explore options for resuming the route. As always, the safety and security of our customers, crew and aircraft is of utmost importance to us,” IndiGo said.
Eritrea is located in Africa. The airline currently operates services to European destinations and London, in addition to Athens, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft leased from Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways, the report said.
Following the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has restricted its registered aircraft, including those from the North Atlantic, from flying over certain Middle Eastern airspace, such as Saudi Arabia. Due to these restrictions, IndiGo began to take a longer route through Africa to reach Europe.
For its European services, the airline now flies via the Arabian Sea, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Red Sea and Egypt before entering European airspace. However, flights to Athens continue to be operated by IndiGo’s A321 XLR aircraft. Normally, Indian airlines fly through Middle Eastern airspace, including Saudi Arabia, when operating flights to Europe.
conflict in the Middle East
Thick black smoke engulfed Tehran after an oil refinery was hit, escalating attacks on Iran’s domestic energy infrastructure and appearing to prompt attacks on Washington’s Arab allies from the Persian Gulf, according to the AP.
Heavy smoke also rose from a refinery in Bahrain, where state oil company Bapco declared force majeure.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said on Monday it had carried out strikes in central Iran, targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut. Israel expanded its operations there after the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group launched cross-border attacks. It also carried out what it described as a limited ground airstrike in southern Lebanon.
According to Iran’s UN ambassador, the joint US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more. Lebanese authorities are also reporting dozens of casualties. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also killed in the joint attacks on February 28.
In Israel, emergency officials said a man died of shrapnel wounds at a construction site near Ben Gurion Airport on Monday, bringing the total number of victims of the Iranian attacks in the country to 11.
