The New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back.
On Friday, global airlines cancelled or rerouted flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, and other Middle Eastern destinations after multiple countries shut down their airspaces in response to Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
Airspaces over Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria were closed following the strikes, which targeted military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Israel stated that Tehran had launched drones in retaliation.
Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, announced it had cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran following the escalation.
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of Qatar and one of the region’s largest airlines, said it had “temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq due to (the) current situation in the region”.
Air France confirmed the suspension of its Tel Aviv operations “until further notice” after Israel closed its airspace.
“Air France is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real-time,” a spokesperson for the airline told AFP, adding that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority”.
Germany’s Lufthansa Group said it was halting flights to Tehran through the end of July and extended its suspension of services to and from Tel Aviv for the same duration.
Air India diverted or recalled 16 flights operating between India and destinations in London, Canada, and the United States “due to the emerging situation in Iran”.
The New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights, which were on the verge of entering Iranian airspace, were ordered to turn back to their departure cities, according to aircraft tracking service, Flight Aware.
In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Airport warned that “flight disruptions are expected through today (Friday)” due to the Israeli military action.
Dubai Airport also announced delays and cancellations caused by the closure of airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
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